Trinity Church of England Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Trinity Church of England Primary School Vicarage Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 1HJ

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 October 2022

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school. They describe the school as ‘fun’, ‘great’ and ‘enjoyable’. They behave well and show respect for adults in school. Staff develop warm and nurturing relationships with pupils. Bullying is rare, but if it does happen, teachers are always at hand to deal with it. One pupil said, ‘All the teachers are kind, caring, respectful and fair.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s Christian motto of ‘Who is my neighbour?’ is evident in the way staff and pupils work together. For example, at playtimes, older pupils are responsible, enthusiastic and kind when helping younger pupils. Pupils, staff and parents and carers embrace the school’s values of ‘respect, care and courage’. One parent said, ‘There is a lovely atmosphere at the school that carries through the staff body and into the wider community.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers plan events that extend and enrich the school’s curriculum, such as attending literary festivals, visits to the theatre and visiting local museums. A wide range of extra- curricular clubs enhances pupils’ personal development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. They are taught well. Pupils do not develop their knowledge well enough in a broader range of subjects. Leaders are currently reviewing their curriculum thinking to address this.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has been through a turbulent time, with changes to school leadership. The new headteacher has had a positive impact on the school in a short space of time. Leaders have made sure that the content pupils will learn in English 11 and 12 October 2022

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and mathematics is carefully planned and sequenced. However, the changes in leadership have meant that in some subjects, leaders have not ensured that content builds securely on pupils’ previous learning. For example, in history, pupils do not consistently build on prior learning. Leaders have identified this and are working with staff to check how pupils remember previous knowledge.

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Children make a positive start with their reading in Reception. Leaders have introduced a new phonics scheme this year to make sure that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of early reading. Staff have been trained effectively. Leaders have ensured that they have the appropriate resources to teach phonics well. Pupils read books that match their phonics knowledge. Any pupils who fall behind in learning their sounds catch up quickly. Pupils love to read and do so every day. They are enthusiastic about their class novels, and one child said, ‘We love our teacher reading to us.’

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Leaders have thought carefully about the mathematics curriculum. They have adapted a commercial scheme to meet the needs of their pupils. It is well planned and ambitious. As a result, teachers make sure that pupils understand the key methods of calculation and use these to work out problems. Leaders ensure that there is a strong focus on early mathematics. Children in early years thrive due to carefully chosen activities.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. They cover the same range of subjects as everybody else. Staff understand the difficulties faced by children with SEND. Staff access relevant training and work well with parents and outside agencies to ensure that they meet pupils’ needs.

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Leaders provide a wide range of opportunities so that pupils can become responsible citizens. For example, children in early years plant and grow vegetables. This helps to develop their knowledge of where food comes from. Pupils take part in the Mayor of Henley Award to contribute to the local community and show how they are positive members of society. Pupils are highly respectful towards one another. They are polite and well mannered. Pupils cooperate well in lessons and socialise well at breaktimes and in the dining hall.

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Leaders ensure that there is high-quality pastoral support to help support pupils’ mental health and well-being. Pupils enjoy attending a wide range of clubs that help to extend learning beyond the school day. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is considered carefully to help them learn about views and lifestyles that are different from their own.

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Leaders and governors have high expectations. They have an accurate understanding of the school’s priorities for improvement. Staff enjoy working at the school. Leaders are considerate of their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11 and 12 October 2022

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Leaders have created a culture where safeguarding pupils is everyone’s number one priority. Staff are well trained to recognise the potential signs of harm in pupils. Staff at all levels know what to do if they have concerns about the welfare of a pupil. Leaders ensure that safeguarding records are detailed, and they take swift action to address any concerns. Leaders make effective use of external agencies to provide support for pupils and their families.

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Pupils have lessons about how to stay safe, including when online. Parents, pupils and staff unanimously agree that Trinity Primary School is a safe place to learn.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not yet considered carefully enough the curriculum content for all subjects. Pupils are not building on previous knowledge well enough. Leaders must continue their work on the curriculum and ensure that it is as effective in all subjects as it is in the strongest.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in November 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 11 and 12 October 2022

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 11 and 12 October 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

1 and 2 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been several leadership changes since the previous inspection, with the appointment of a new headteacher, a deputy headteacher and special educational needs coordinator.  An external provider runs a breakfast club and an after-school club on the school site.  This school is a voluntary-aided Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxford. Its most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in February 2017.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher and three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. 11 and 12 October 2022

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 The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative from the diocese and a separate telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also looked at curriculum information and spoke to leaders about other subjects in the curriculum.  The views of parents and staff were considered through Ofsted’s online surveys.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector looked at the school’s training records, spoke with pupils and checked staff’s safeguarding knowledge to ensure that pupils are safe. Meetings were held with the designated safeguarding lead

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and the school’s special educational needs coordinator.

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Inspection team

David Harris, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 October 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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