Trinity CofE Primary Academy

Inspection of Trinity CofE Primary Academy Longford Road, Heath Town, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV10 0UB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 3 and 4 July 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision of ‘Together as One’ is fully realised at this school. Pupils from a wide range of diverse backgrounds and cultures work and play together harmoniously. All pupils are welcomed and treated equally, in line with the school’s motto.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school site and classrooms are safe environments. Staff and visiting professionals teach pupils how to stay safe. Pupils know that if they report any incidents of bullying, leaders will deal with them promptly. As a result, pupils feel safe and happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and leaders care about, and want the best for, all pupils. They work hard to provide the opportunities and experiences to help pupils to succeed in life. Leaders’ focus on English and mathematics has paid off. Pupil achievement is rising and is now in line with national outcomes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children learn about the importance of good behaviour in the early years. They listen attentively, take turns and share equipment fairly. This behaviour, and pupils’ positive attitudes to learning, continues as pupils move through the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have increased methods of working with parents. Staff host different workshops, including phonics, to help parents support their children at home.

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better?

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including for the youngest children in the school. They have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn from the early years through to Year 6. Staff have high expectations. They have identified the important words pupils need to know in different subjects. For example, children in Reception learn about light and shadows. Impressively, they know that ‘opaque’ means not letting light through.

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better?

In most subjects, including English, mathematics and science, pupils’ learning builds effectively from year to year. In these subjects, the curriculum is well established, and pupils remember what they learn. Teachers often have good subject knowledge and are confident in delivering lessons. They usually check that pupils understand content before moving on to new information. Consequently, pupils enjoy learning and achieve well in these subjects.

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better?

In a few subjects, curriculum sequencing is less secure. As a result, pupils struggle to master difficult concepts, such as historical timelines. This affects pupils’ confidence and enjoyment in lessons. Additionally, systems to check how much pupils know and remember are at an early stage of development in these subjects. This means that staff are unclear about where pupils have gaps in their knowledge. 3 and 4 July 2023

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Children in the early years make a strong start to their education. They have the resources they need to successfully complete learning tasks. Adults model language well. They give clear explanations and check children’s understanding. Children in Reception benefit from high-quality conversations with staff. They talk confidently about what they know and can do. Adults support children’s learning successfully. This enables children to be well prepared for Year 1.

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Leaders prioritise reading from the outset. Children in Reception follow a daily phonics programme. Leaders ensure that pupils in key stage 1 build on these early reading skills. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds they are learning. However, some pupils who struggle with reading do not catch up quickly enough. This is because they do not practise their reading skills regularly enough. As a result, they find it hard to develop the confidence and fluency needed to be competent readers.

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Teachers skilfully adapt work for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This allows pupils to follow the same curriculum as their classmates. Staff identify most pupils with SEND early, often in the early years. They provide effective support for pupils. However, leaders recognise that staff need more training on meeting the needs of pupils with complex needs, particularly mental health issues that have developed since the pandemic.

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Leaders want pupils to enjoy all aspects of school life. The school environment, outdoors and indoors, is vibrant and well equipped. The wide range of extra- curricular experiences provided by the school helps pupils to extend their skills beyond the classroom. For example, many pupils make good use of the purpose- built dance studio and music lessons offered to develop their talents in these subjects. Outdoor fitness equipment for older pupils and an exciting outdoor area for younger children help to develop pupils’ physical skills, stamina and agility.

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Members of the local academy committee and trustees support and challenge leaders appropriately. They hold leaders to account and provide helpful training for staff, including those new to the profession and those wanting to become senior leaders. Members are considerate of staff workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the school is a safe place for pupils. Leaders have robust procedures in place for vetting staff before appointing them. Staff are vigilant. They are quick to spot any concerns about pupils’ well-being because they are well trained. Staff know how and to whom to report incidents. Leaders respond appropriately. They seek the right level of support from different agencies for families.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. Pupils are alert to the dangers of using the internet. They know who to talk to if they are worried. 3 and 4 July 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not well sequenced in a small number of subjects. As a result, pupils struggle to build successfully on their prior learning in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum builds pupils’ knowledge, skills and vocabulary progressively as they move from the early years through to Year 6 so that they achieve equally well in all subjects.  Leaders have not developed an effective system to assess what pupils know, can do and remember in all foundation subjects. This means that teachers are unaware of where gaps exist in pupils’ learning and where curriculum content needs to be revisited or implemented more successfully. Leaders should ensure that there is a consistently effective approach to assessing pupils’ knowledge and recall across all subjects.  Leaders have not ensured that the lowest attaining readers in early years and key stage 1 receive the regular support and practise needed for these pupils to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

become confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 2. As a result, some pupils do not read as well as they should for their age. Leaders should ensure that staff provide the support needed to help pupils master the skills they need to access the curriculum fully in key stage 2.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268451 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 July 2016 under section 8 of the 2005 Education Act

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Information about this school

 The school joined St Chad’s Academies Trust on 1 March 2019. The trust comprises of 19 primary schools and one secondary school.  The school has now completed its transition from a two-form to a three-form entry school.  The school offers provision for two-year olds in the ‘Early Explorers’ classroom.  The executive headteacher and head of school were appointed in September 2019.  The school has a Church of England ethos. The religious character of the school was inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in July 2017.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 3 and 4 July 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, head of school and senior leaders. Meetings were also held with members of the local academy committee, including the chair, and two members of the multi-academy trust, including the chief executive officer.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in English, early reading, mathematics, geography, history, music, physical education and science. Inspection activities in these subjects included lesson visits, discussions with staff and pupils, meeting with subject leaders, and scrutiny of work. The lead inspector also observed pupils reading.  The inspectors considered a range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans. Minutes of local academy committee meetings

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and reports from external reviews commissioned by the school were also scrutinised.  Inspectors looked at records of attendance and behaviour. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them informally about behaviour, bullying, and welfare.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding leaders, examined school records and discussed safeguarding cases.  The inspectors talked informally with pupils, parents and staff to gather general information about school life. They took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff and parent views. Inspectors spoke with parents on the playground at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Heather Simpson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Russell Hinton Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 July 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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