Trinity Catholic High School

Inspection of Trinity Catholic High School Mornington Road, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 0TP

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Inspection dates: 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected eight years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders hold high expectations of pupils. The school’s motto, ‘In Christ we flourish’, underpins leaders’ work to support pupils to succeed in all aspects of school life and beyond. Pupils follow an ambitious curriculum, including in the sixth form. They achieve well and, as a result, produce work of high quality across the subjects studied. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, employment or training.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders organise plentiful opportunities for pupils to take part in new experiences. These include visits abroad, outdoor residential trips and a wide range of clubs and societies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that the school is calm and orderly. Pupils behave well and support and respect each other. They work hard in lessons and they have positive attitudes towards their education. Attendance is high. Pupils are kept safe, and bullying is rare. When incidents do occur, leaders tackle these quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sixth-form students take on roles as ‘guardian angels’. Through this, students aim to help younger pupils get the most out of school. For example, students take the lead in organising activities such as the illustration club. There are opportunities for pupils of all ages to develop their leadership skills through the school council, as curriculum ambassadors and through the prefect system.

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better?

Pupils follow a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders are successfully focusing on increasing the number of pupils studying the English Baccalaureate at GCSE.

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better?

Leaders review the curriculum regularly. They are clear about the knowledge and skills that pupils need to develop at each stage of their learning. This learning is effectively sequenced, so that pupils embed their understanding before tackling more complex ideas. In art, for example, younger pupils learn about colour theory and perspective drawing. They build on this when they learn about the cultural history of comics and then design their own comic-book cover. Similarly, in history, pupils learn about how different monarchs have used political power. This helps them to deepen their understanding of how governments and leaders have made use of propaganda during the periods of history studied.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and expertise. This enables them to explain complex information clearly to pupils. Teachers frequently revisit previous learning to ensure that pupils remember the curriculum over time. Typically, teachers ask questions and design activities to check pupils’ understanding. However, in some instances, pupils’ misconceptions are not identified or addressed and so persist over time. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those at an early stage of reading are well supported. Leaders identify pupils quickly and share this information with teachers. This means that pupils benefit from appropriate support in the classroom and through additional specialist provision, such as specific phonics teaching.

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Leaders have established clear routines and expectations for learning. As a result, lessons are calm, and disruption is rare. Pupils take responsibility for their work and pride in their learning.

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Leaders have developed a coherent and well-sequenced curriculum for pupils’ personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils learn about a range of important topics, such as healthy relationships, financial literacy and mental well- being. There are regular assemblies that mark important events, such as Black History Month and Holocaust Memorial Day. Pupils across the school receive a comprehensive careers programme. This includes masterclasses from external speakers and access to independent careers advice and guidance.

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Leaders have organised many opportunities to support pupils’ wider learning. These have included outings to Tate Britain and Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve, as well as overseas to Berlin, Rome and the USA. During the school day, pupils also take part in a wide range of activities designed to help them take their learning further, such as through the medical, literary and historical societies. Extracurricular clubs in gymnastics, indoor small-side football, film and miniature wargames provide additional opportunities for pupils to explore their talents and interests.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. Leaders are implementing plans to support staff workload and well-being further, for example through setting up a well-being committee. The governing body is highly skilled. This enables it to hold leaders to account for their work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils’ safety is a priority for all staff. The members of the safeguarding team work closely together across both school sites. This means that they know pupils well and can respond quickly to any concerns that may arise.

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Safeguarding

All staff are given regular training, including on how to recognise potential signs of abuse and to help them understand any local risks. There are clear processes in place for staff to report concerns. Leaders work well with local agencies and external partners to ensure that pupils get the help that they need quickly.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum has been designed to help pupils understand how to stay safe, including when online. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, teaching does not check carefully what pupils have learned. In these instances, misconceptions or gaps in knowledge are not routinely identified and addressed. Leaders should ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding, so that pupils are well supported to develop and secure their understanding fully across the curriculum.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,644

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

18 and 19 March 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a Roman Catholic religious character. The Diocese of Brentford carried out the school’s most recent section 48 inspection in January 2020.  The school is situated over an upper and lower site. Pupils typically attend lessons at both sites during the school day.  Leaders use two alternative education providers, one of which is unregistered.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical educational qualification and apprenticeships. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, subject leaders and groups of staff.  The lead inspector met with governors and representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in art, geography, history and science.  For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of their work.  Inspectors held meetings with leaders responsible for the school’s safeguarding arrangements. They also looked at safeguarding records, including pre- employment checks for staff.  Inspectors considered the views of pupils, parents and carers, and staff both

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Information about this inspection

through discussions and through their respective responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Olly Wimborne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Pamela Fearnley Ofsted Inspector 28 February and 1 March 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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