Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy

Inspection of Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy Boundary Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 4AU

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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 Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Julia Summers. This school is part of Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, James McGeachie, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nigel Stevenson. 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The virtues of respect, resilience, reconciliation, care, compassion and courage underpin everything that happens at this school. Pupils know these virtues and understand what they mean. They say that these help them to work hard, be good friends and get the most out of being at school. As one pupil told an inspector: ‘This is a fun place where memories are made.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on a vast range of roles and responsibilities. These include being ‘Respect Rangers’, ‘Agents for Change’, ‘International Ambassadors’, ‘Take 5’ Ambassadors’ and ‘Peer Mentors’, to mention but a few. The school makes sure that no pupils miss out. Pupils take their roles seriously. They wear their vast array of badges with pride.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is highly positive. Pupils appreciate the many rewards on offer, including ‘STAR awards’, ‘Mission awards’, house points and being selected for the weekly celebration assembly. Pupils know that the ‘Holy Trinity Way’ expects them to show smart sitting, use magnet eyes, have hands still and be ready to listen and learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are consistently positive. Pupils’ views are listened to and acted upon. As a result, pupils are kept safe, are well-looked after and cared for.

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better?

The school has designed and implemented a phonics programme that is comprehensive. It is taught well. Pupils quickly learn the sounds that different letters make. They use these to read new and increasingly challenging books. As a result, pupils soon become fluent readers. Beyond phonics, pupils benefit from a well organised reading curriculum. They study a wide range of texts and genres over time. They develop a love of reading. They say that the weekly ‘Book Club’ sessions and daily story time inspire them to read more widely.

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better?

Across all subjects, the school’s curriculum is well planned and sequenced. It makes clear what pupils are expected to know and remember at each stage of their education. Content builds cumulatively on what has been taught before. In the vast majority of cases, pupils have an impressive recall of what they have learned. However, there are some minor inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is taught. In a small number of cases, teachers do not teach the curriculum in its entirety. In other cases, the lessons that teachers plan do not align sharply enough to what is set out in the curriculum. As a result, in a small number of places, pupils do not know and remember what they should.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. They get the help that they need to learn the same curriculum as their peers. Staff know when and how to intervene. They know when to step back to help pupils to become more independent. 12 and 13 March 2024

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Children in the early years benefit from a meticulously planned and sequenced curriculum. Staff have a detailed knowledge of how well children are getting on. Any that need help to keep up are well supported. Across all early years classes, children are happy, busy and well-cared for.

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Pupils’ personal development is well catered for. The school provides a broad range of experiences that contribute to developing pupils’ cultural awareness. The school’s curriculums for personal social and health education (PSHE) and relationships and health education are well structured. Staff have been trained to deliver these well.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance know their school. They recognise what is working effectively and identify the right priorities for improvement. Leaders have created a united staff team. During recent, critical building works, the leadership of the school has showed true grit and determination. They united the school’s community to minimise the impact of the disruption this has caused.

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The school has a large proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. These pupils are well catered for in lessons. However, the school does not monitor the learning of this group closely enough. It does not evaluate how those at different stages of acquiring English are getting on. This means that they are unable to identify and address any emerging trends or patterns.

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The school experienced significant staffing turbulence during the 2022 to 2023 year. Much of this was directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has now stabilised. However, this, along with a high level of pupils leaving and joining the school during the year, contributed to low outcomes in the 2023 national assessments. Current pupils are in a much stronger position. They are achieving well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of cases, teachers do not teach the full planned curriculum. This results in some minor gaps that have emerged in what pupils know and remember. The school should ensure that the curriculum is taught in its entirety and that pupils know and remember the full range of content.  Occasionally, teachers teach content that, while related, does not align precisely with the intent of the curriculum. This results in pupils missing out on some of the intended knowledge. The school should ensure that the lessons that teachers plan align precisely to the intent of the curriculum. 12 and 13 March 2024

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 The school does not evaluate closely enough how those at different stages of acquiring English are getting on. This means that the school is unable to identify and address any emerging trends or patterns. The school should ensure that it closely monitors how pupils who are at different stages of acquiring English get on and progress through the curriculum and make adjustments where required.

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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 ’ 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 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). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy converted to become an academy in April 2014. It is part of the Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternative education providers.  The school is part of the Diocese of Nottingham. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place on 14 July 2017.  The school has been affected by the removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). The vast majority of the school was housed in temporary accommodation from September 2023 until February 2024, shortly before the inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 12 and 13 March 2024

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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the early years leaders, those responsible for SEND and groups of staff and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in five subjects: reading, mathematics, history, geography, and art and design. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. Inspectors also spoke to leaders, looked at curriculum documentation and spoke with pupils about science, modern foreign languages, personal, social and health education (PSHE) and relationship and health education.

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 The lead inspector met with representatives of the local governing body, including the chair. He met with the chief executive of the trust, the schools’ director of performance and standards, and a representative of the board of trustees.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and written comments from parents. Inspectors spoke informally to parents outside the school. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.  Inspectors reviewed school documents, including those relating to governance, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors scrutinised leaders’ plans for improvement

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and their assessment of the school’s effectiveness.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils at breaktimes, in the dining hall and on the playground. An inspector visited the school’s breakfast club and briefly visited collective worship.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kyna Adkins Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024

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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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