Trimley St Martin Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Trimley St Martin Primary School Kirton Road, Trimley St Martin, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 0QL

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Outcome

Trimley St Martin 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 happy and safe. Pupils behave well in lessons, around the school and at playtimes. Pupils get to know each other really well. They treat one another with high levels of respect. Excellent relationships develop between staff, pupils and families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ academic and personal development. Pupils are well prepared for secondary school as a result. Pupils demonstrate the school’s mission statement of ‘I have the power to be…’ in their lessons and have positive attitudes to their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to develop beyond their academic achievement. They take on various leadership roles in school, such as eco and sports ambassadors. Pupils help to promote the values of the school in a variety of different ways. For example, older pupils enjoy reading to the younger children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents value the work of the school. Comments such as, ‘This is an excellent school. Both of my children are very happy here,’ are typical.

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

The school has carefully designed a curriculum that enables pupils to build their knowledge from the early years to Year 6. The school has made sure that teachers know how to teach the curriculum well. Teachers plan suitable learning activities that enable pupils to deepen their thinking. Pupils can connect knowledge between different subjects and topics. This helps pupils to make sense of what they have learned. For example, year 6 pupils successfully debated the life of Nelson Mandela, using a range of skills and knowledge that had been taught previously.

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

In most subjects, the school has identified the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. Where this happens, pupils build on what they already know and can do. 7 and 8 November 2023

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However, in some subjects, the school is still working on identifying precisely the necessary knowledge that pupils need. In these subjects, pupils do not acquire the same depth of understanding as they do in others because they are not taught some important subject knowledge.

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The curriculum in the early years is ambitious. The books that are read and enjoyed are carefully chosen to reflect the backgrounds and needs of the children. Adults support children’s learning well. They quickly establish positive relationships with children and work to promote communication skills and vocabulary. Early mathematical concepts are explored through a range of opportunities. Children are prepared well for learning in Year 1.

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Pupils are enthusiastic about reading. The school has ensured that there is a structured approach to teaching pupils to read. This starts in the Reception class, where staff model the joy of reading. Pupils learn phonics quickly and therefore learn to read from an early age. Pupils look forward to their reading buddy time with other-aged pupils. Within writing, pupils are making good progress as they progress through the school. However, expectations in writing vary and pupils are not always provided with opportunities to write at length and practise what they are taught in English lessons.

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The school quickly identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND have personalised learning plans. These contain clear targets and guidance for staff. The number of pupils with more complex needs has risen in recent years and the school has ensured that these pupils have equal access to the curriculum. The school makes suitable adaptations to the curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The school’s expectations for pupils’ behaviour are clear. Staff support pupils to make the right choices. Pupils know the school’s routines and settle quickly to learning. Pupils behave well in class and around the school.

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Pupils can attend a range of clubs to suit their interests, including a successful robotic club. The school teaches pupils about different religions and cultures, and pupils talk fondly about these religions. Pupils understand the ways in which people might be different to themselves, for example through race. They are adamant that being different does not matter and that everyone should be treated with equal respect.

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Governors know the school well; they have clear oversight of the school’s strengths and current areas of development. They are proactive in engaging with staff and are mindful of staff’s well-being. The school considers any possible impact on staff’s workload when making decisions about curriculum changes or policies.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 November 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not yet refined its curriculum plans to ensure that these identify precisely the key knowledge and skills that pupils should know and remember. This means that pupils are not always being taught the key knowledge and skills required to be competent in these subjects. The school should ensure that plans in all subjects precisely identify the important subject knowledge required to support future learning and a secure understanding of the subject.  In some foundation subjects, the quality of pupils’ written work is not good enough. This is because opportunities to write at length are not consistently being provided. Consequently, pupils do not regularly practise the key skills that have been taught. The school should ensure that all teachers provide pupils with opportunities to write at length and to practise the skills being taught in English to improve the quality of pupils’

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

written work across the full range of subjects.

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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 December 2014.

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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.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and 7 and 8 November 2023

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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). 7 and 8 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.trimleystmartinprimaryschool.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of two unregistered alternative providers.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher and other senior leaders.  The inspector spoke to members of the school’s governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. Inspection activities in these subjects included lesson visits, discussions with staff and pupils, meeting 7 and 8 November 2023

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with subject leaders and work scrutiny. The inspector also observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  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 scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to safeguarding arrangements, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors also reviewed the school’s evaluation of its own performance and the school’s development plans.  To gather their views on the school, the inspector held informal and formal discussions with pupils and observed lunchtime.  The inspector reviewed the 35 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 35 additional free-text comments. They also took account of responses to

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Inspection team

Joseph Figg, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 November 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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