Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School Banks Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L19 8JY

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Outcome

Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are proud of their school motto: ‘we care, we share, we love, we learn’. Pupils demonstrate these values within lessons and throughout the school day. Pupils are kind and considerate towards one another. Staff and pupils told the inspector that they see the school as one big family.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy at school. They know that they can go to a trusted adult if they have any worries or concerns. If there is any unkind behaviour, including bullying, leaders and staff deal with it quickly and well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and achievement, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils live up to leaders’ expectations and they get on with their learning without interruption.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to represent their school in events such as Young Voices. They enjoy the range of extra clubs on offer such as choir, sports and cheerleading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The parents and carers who shared their views with inspectors were unanimous in their praise for school leaders and staff. They would readily recommend this school to other parents.

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

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND, is ambitious. In most subjects, leaders have identified the essential knowledge that pupils will learn. Teachers deliver the curriculum effectively in these subjects. This enables pupils to achieve well.

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

In a few subjects, leaders’ thinking about what pupils must know and remember is less clear. In these subjects, there is so much content that teachers are unsure what they 2 and 3 February 2023

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should prioritise. This leads to some key concepts not being taught. As a result, pupils do not gain the secure foundation that they need for their future learning.

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Teachers use assessment information to identify any pupils who fall behind in their learning. These pupils are given effective extra catch-up sessions to support them to access the curriculum and keep up.

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Leaders have made reading a priority across the school. They have provided staff with the training and resources that they need to deliver the reading curriculum, including phonics, consistently well. Consequently, teachers know which sounds to teach, and when to teach them to children in the early years and pupils in key stage one. Leaders ensure that the books that pupils read are well matched to the sounds that they know. Teachers identify pupils who are not keeping up with the reading programme. They provide extra help to make sure that these pupils quickly catch up with their peers. Children in the early years enjoy listening to a wide range of stories read by their teachers. Older pupils enjoy the daily reading times after lunch.

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Leaders are quick to identify pupils who may have additional needs. Staff ensure that pupils with SEND learn in class. This ensures that pupils with SEND experience the same learning opportunities and curriculum as their peers. That said, the targets set for pupils with SEND are too broad. Teachers are not aware of the small steps that these pupils need to make in order to achieve success.

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Pupils behave well and they have a good attitude towards their learning. They engage positively in their learning and contribute well to class discussions. Pupils attend school regularly and understand the importance of good attendance and how this helps them as learners.

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Leaders carefully consider pupils’ wider personal development. They ensure that pupils benefit from a range of extra activities outside of the classroom. These activities successfully develop pupils’ interests and talents. Pupils are respectful of cultures and religions which are different from their own and warmly welcome any new pupils into their school.

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Governors carry out their statutory duties effectively. They bring a wide range of knowledge and experience to their roles. They provide challenge and support to school leaders to ensure that the quality of education for pupils remains a priority.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. They feel well supported and valued. Leaders prioritise their well-being and they are mindful of staff’s workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a culture of safeguarding. All staff are well trained to spot any signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They know what to do if they have any concerns about pupils’ safety or well-being. Leaders know the families very well. Leaders 2 and 3 February 2023

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work closely with external agencies to make sure that pupils and their families get the support that they need when they need it.

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Leaders are proactive in identifying the potential risks to pupils in the community and ensuring the curriculum responds to these dangers. For example, pupils have recently learned about the dangers of county lines illegal drug transportation and knife crime. As a result, pupils better understand how to keep themselves safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not identified the essential knowledge that pupils should know and remember. There is so much content for pupils to learn. As a result, pupils cannot retain the most important knowledge. This hinders pupils when building new learning. In these subjects, leaders must ensure that the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember is clear.  The learning targets set for pupils with SEND are too broad. This makes success towards these targets unachievable for some pupils. Leaders should ensure that teachers identify the steps in learning that pupils with SEND should reach in order to be successful.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. 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 good in December 2017.

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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. 2 and 3 February 2023

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 2 and 3 February 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.holytrinitycatholicprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 and 6 December 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School is a voluntary-aided school. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in January 2018.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken this into account in their evaluation of the school  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the assistant headteachers and other senior leaders. She met with representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  The inspector met with the leaders responsible for SEND and early years.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to some 2 and 3 February 2023

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pupils about their learning, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also considered other subjects on the school’s curriculum.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector looked at the single central record of staff suitability checks. She met with the leaders responsible for safeguarding and sampled case studies and documentation.  The inspector met with a group of pupils and spoke to pupils during breaktimes and lunchtimes.  The inspector spoke with some parents as they dropped their children off at school. She also reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector held meetings with members of staff and looked at the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Kelly Butler, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 2 and 3 February 2023

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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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