Trinity Church School

Inspection of a good school: Trinity Church School Woodborough Lane, Radstock, Bath, Somerset BA3 3DE

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Outcome

Trinity Church School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The executive headteacher of the school is Michelle Parsons. This school is part of The Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Alun Williams, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Tony Wells.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love attending Trinity Church School. The school is friendly and inclusive. Pupils ‘learn, grow and believe together’ in a culture where everyone is respected. The sculpture at the entrance to the school represents acceptance. This captures the ethos of the school where pupils are welcoming and celebrate difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. Pupils work hard and listen attentively to their teachers and to each other. They sustain high levels of concentration in their lessons. Pupils at Trinity Church School value their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the calm and nurturing atmosphere. Staff care well for them. Pupils feel safe to express their own opinions and views. This helps them to feel happy. Pupils treat others with kindness and respect. Their behaviour and conduct are exemplary.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop strong relationships with staff. They know that the adults in school look after them well to keep them emotionally healthy and physically safe. Pupils benefit from a wealth of experiences to develop their character and resilience. They describe the importance of ‘making a difference’ to the wider community. Pupils raise money for charity and collect donations for the school’s food bank. They want to help others.

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

The school has designed and implemented a curriculum that enables pupils to achieve well. Staff have the expertise to implement the curriculum well. The school is ambitious for every pupil. The quality of pupils’ work is high. The school’s curriculum is rich and engaging. It sets out what pupils will learn and how this builds on previous learning. The 26 and 27 March 2024

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curriculum makes links between subjects which helps pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding. For example, in Year 6 history lessons pupils learn about World War II. They also develop their geographical knowledge by studying where the events of this period took place in Europe. Mathematics is a strength of the school. The mathematics curriculum is well designed and ambitious. Pupils enjoy maths. They recall their mathematical knowledge effectively and apply this to reasoning and problem-solving activities.

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The curriculum sets out the knowledge pupils are expected to learn and remember in each subject. It focuses on the important knowledge that pupils need to learn over time. Pupils can talk confidently about their current learning. However, assessment is not used precisely enough to check on pupils’ understanding in the foundation subjects. As a result, it is not always clear what pupils can remember over time in these subjects. This makes it difficult to adapt learning to ensure pupils build their knowledge well.

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Reading is a high priority. The school’s approach to teaching early reading using phonics is effective. This starts in early years, where provision is strong. Pupils use the strategies they have learned to read unfamiliar words. Staff quickly identify those pupils who need more practise. These pupils are given timely support to help them to keep up. Pupils read books that match their stage of reading. This helps pupils practise using their phonic knowledge to become confident, fluent readers. Pupils read and listen to a range of quality texts. They talk enthusiastically about their favourite stories and authors. The school ensures that pupils read well by the end of Year 6.

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Staff understand how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has effective processes for identifying pupils who may need additional help. Adaptations in the classroom precisely meet each pupil’s needs. Therefore, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their classmates and progress well through the curriculum.

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The curriculum extends beyond the academic. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. For example, they visit parliament in London to listen to a debate and to learn about democracy. The school provides many opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles. This instils a sense of responsibility and empathy in pupils. Those who have these roles, such as sports leaders and members of the news crew, actively contribute to the school community. They understand how they are helping others. The school prepares pupils well for their futures. For example, older pupils learn about business roles through visiting a local company.

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Pupils behave very well. The school has refined its behaviour policy to help staff manage behaviour consistently. Consequently, classrooms are calm and orderly places where pupils can learn successfully. Pupils learn about how to stay safe online and how to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships. They can talk about their understanding of difference and diversity. Pupils know why prejudice and discrimination are wrong.

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Parents overwhelmingly support the school. They value the wide range of clubs, trips and activities that are on offer. Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders are mindful of staff well-being and workload. The trust provides many opportunities for staff to develop 26 and 27 March 2024

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throughout their careers. Trust leaders and the local governing board understand their roles and responsibilities. They share the strong ambitions of the school leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The system for assessing pupils’ knowledge in foundation subjects is not yet developed. As a result, it is not always clear whether pupils have learned and remembered the key knowledge set out in the curriculum. This can inhibit some pupils’ building of knowledge. The trust needs to ensure that assessment is used effectively to check on pupils’ understanding and use this information to inform future 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2018.

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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 26 and 27 March 2024

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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). 26 and 27 March 2024

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School details

Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council

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Dates of previous inspection

9 and 10 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher of the school is also the executive headteacher of another school in the trust.

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Information about this school

 The school’s most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in July 2017.

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 their evaluation of the school. 26 and 27 March 2024

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 The inspector met with the executive headteacher, deputy headteacher and special educational needs coordinator for the school. The inspector also met with trust leaders and a range of teaching and support staff from the school.

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 The inspector met with the chief executive officer for the trust and held a phone conversation with a representative from the board of trustees.

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 The inspector met with representatives from the local governing board.

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 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.

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 The inspector also discussed the curriculum in other subjects.

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 The inspector listened to pupils in Year 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.

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 The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.

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 The inspector gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and by talking to parents before and after school. The inspector also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Matt Fletcher, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 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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If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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