Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Cuckfield

Inspection of a good school: Holy Trinity C of E Primary School, Cuckfield Glebe Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 5BQ

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 October 2023

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Outcome

Holy Trinity C of E Primary School, Cuckfield continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The whole-school community embodies the school values of perseverance, aspiration, respect and teamwork. Pupils feel safe and are happy. They benefit from nurturing relationships with staff across the school. Pupils feel listened to, and any incidents of bullying are dealt with by adults appropriately. They are clear that unkindness is not tolerated in their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to meet leaders’ high expectations of them. They enjoy learning and delight in talking about the lessons that they have enjoyed and the books that they are reading. The school makes good use of the outdoor space available to extend learning beyond the classroom. Welly walks, trips to the mud kitchen and use of the forest school all provide pupils with ways to broaden their knowledge. Opportunities for pupils to take on leadership responsibilities across the school are highly prized. Pupils enjoy representing the views of their peers through the student council, being an anti-bullying ambassador or a ‘rainbow rep’. There are a wide range of clubs and activities to participate in, ranging from football club to Minecraft club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

As one parent said, ‘I would recommend this school to prospective parents as the sense of community here is fantastic for everyone.’

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

Inclusivity sits at the heart of the decisions that leaders make for the school community. The school maintains this unwavering focus throughout all of its provision. This includes, for example, through the books that are selected so that each pupil can see themselves represented within literature. The school also makes careful decisions about external speakers in order to inspire pupils to be inclusive. 17 and 18 October 2023

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Children get off to a good start in early years. Children in Reception are well supported by knowledgeable adults who prioritise high-quality interactions and purposeful play. Staff use careful checks to ensure that all children have the practice time that they need to learn important knowledge. As a result, children confidently develop their use of number, early reading and communication skills.

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All pupils are supported to thrive. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported to participate in all aspects of school life. Staff prioritise helping all pupils to read confidently and fluently. Books are mostly well matched to the sounds that pupils are being taught. Most staff have received precise training to provide them with the subject knowledge that they need to teach the curriculum. However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of phonics teaching. Sometimes, there are missed opportunities to check what pupils know and can do. This means that misconceptions are not always identified and addressed. Some pupils require additional help and feedback to improve their reading accuracy.

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Subjects in the wider curriculum have been thoughtfully designed. For example, in geography, pupils are well supported to develop an increasingly complex understanding of their local area. They do this through learning about other regions that they compare and contrast to where they live. This helps pupils to gain insights into other cultures and deepen their understanding of important themes, such as diversity. In many subjects, what knowledge to teach has been clearly identified and linked to specific vocabulary that staff want pupils to learn. Where teaching is strongest, staff have high expectations and maximise learning time in classrooms. They do this by regularly and precisely checking what pupils know and can do, encouraging them to explain their thinking in discussions and reducing the time lost between different learning activities. However, in a small number of lessons, not all pupils are challenged quickly to meet leaders’ high

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expectations. This means that occasionally learning time in lessons is not used effectively.

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Pupils confidently discuss what they learn in personal, social and health education lessons. The curriculum is broad and covers a range of important age-appropriate knowledge. Leaders are proactive in inviting external speakers to support them giving important messages, for example ‘Show Racism the Red Card’.

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Any incidents of behaviour that fall below leaders’ high expectations are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Staff know their pupils well and ensure that positive behaviour is promoted. As a result, pupils respond well to the behaviour expectations in and around the school. Attendance is another clear priority in the school. Leaders are aware of the gaps in attendance for some groups of pupils and are addressing them appropriately.

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The school has established positive relationships with the community that they serve. Staff feel that their workload and well-being are considered. Staff speak positively about the impact of recent changes to report writing and the subject-specific training they have received. They feel that their voices are heard when making decisions. Together with governors, leaders know the strengths of the school well and the areas to further develop. They are reflective and regularly look for ways to improve what they do for all of their pupils and staff. 17 and 18 October 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some struggling early readers are not yet receiving precise enough support to help them to read confidently and fluently. This means that some pupils demonstrate gaps in their knowledge that have not yet been addressed, which hinders them from catching up quickly. The school should ensure that all staff have received the training and support required to use the most effective strategies to help all pupils to read with accuracy.  In some lessons, opportunities are missed to engage all pupils in the important knowledge being taught. This means that some pupils are not fully focused on the learning at hand. Although pupils do not disrupt the learning of other pupils, they are not being suitably challenged to engage in the lesson content. The school should ensure that clear expectations are communicated in order to ensure that instruction, practice and feedback within lessons maximises learning.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2013.

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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. 17 and 18 October 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’ is used to mean pupils with SEND; pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 17 and 18 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Rebecca Anderson

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School details

Website www.holytrinity-cuckfield.w-sussex.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England school in the Diocese of Chichester. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in March 2022.  The school currently uses three unregistered alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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 the school and has taken that into account in this evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with leaders from across the school. She met with governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also had a telephone call with a representative from the local authority and a representative from the Diocese of Chichester.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, 17 and 18 October 2023

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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 discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school and discussed wider development opportunities with leaders and pupils.  The inspector considered 98 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including 72 free-text comments. The inspector also took account of 53 responses to the staff survey and 235 responses to the pupil survey. The inspector also spoke with staff and pupils to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Hanna Miller, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 October 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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