Trimley St Mary Primary School

Inspection of Trimley St Mary Primary School High Road, Trimley St Mary, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 0ST

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school, with many saying that they ‘love it here’. Pupils particularly enjoy receiving ‘Wow’ awards and reading challenge certificates for their hard work. They talk excitedly about their ‘Wild Wednesday’ sessions, which bring classroom learning to life in the outdoor environment. This school is improving rapidly. This is because the new leadership identified that the previous curriculum did not build well enough on what pupils already know. The resultant improvements to the curriculum have meant that a few subjects are not yet consistently implemented. Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. Some pupils act as lunch leaders and lead play with the younger children. Staff ensure that any unkind behaviour, such as bullying, is quickly and sensitively resolved. Any incidents of low-level disruption in lessons are well managed. As a result, pupils are happy and safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a range of opportunities to enhance classroom learning, such as visits to the local aerospace centre. Many pupils access clubs such as athletics, choir, swimming and maths. These experiences help pupils develop their talents and interests. Pupils also take on leadership roles, including house captains, school council and a diversity group.

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

The school has been through a period of significant change. Decisive action by the new leadership to improve the curriculum is having a positive impact. There is now high ambition for all pupils to achieve the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. However, the school’s vision is not yet fully realised.

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

Where the curriculum is more established, pupils learn well. The clear sequence of learning and well-structured lessons supports pupils in applying previous learning to new concepts. However, where the subject curriculum is newer, implementation is inconsistent. Lesson activities do not always ensure that pupils practise and consolidate knowledge in enough depth. Therefore, they do not retain the knowledge they have learned consistently enough. Similarly, pupils do not have enough opportunity to apply their learning in more complex ways. This means that pupils, including some who are disadvantaged, do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects.

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

In early years, children build strong foundations for later learning. They gain the communication and social skills they need to learn. Children learn through play in both indoor and outdoor environments. These environments provide activities that engage their curiosity. This combines with more structured learning sessions to help prepare children for their next stage at school.

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

The school prioritises children learning to read as soon as they join. Well-trained staff teach phonics from the beginning of Reception. Staff ensure that pupils’ reading books match the sounds that they are learning. Staff check closely that pupils have remembered 15 and 16 October 2024

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the sounds they learn. Staff quickly identify those pupils who need additional help. These pupils receive this help and develop as more fluent and confident readers. As a result, most pupils become confident readers.

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The school rapidly identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff know pupils’ needs well and support them in communicating their needs. However, the inconsistencies in curriculum delivery do not always support these pupils to achieve all of their learning successfully. This means that the achievement of pupils with SEND is still variable.

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The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils rise to these expectations. If pupils demonstrate challenging behaviour, staff take effective action to enable them to re-engage in their learning.

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The school ensures that pupils value diversity and different ways of life. They can articulate this as a result of the school’s focus on diversity in the assembly programme and in learning from visitors to school. Pupils embody this understanding through their work as part of the school’s diversity group.

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Pupil leadership opportunities allow them to develop important life skills and contribute actively to school life. They elect their representatives for the school council. They are confident to share their views and respect the views of others. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. In this way, they are well prepared to be active citizens. There has been a great deal of change at this school in a short amount of time. Staff have shown a strong commitment to fulfilling the improvements that leaders have initiated. They enjoy working at this school, feeling very well supported by leaders in managing their workload and well-being.

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Governors work closely with the school and provide support and challenge to ensure that standards continue to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the implementation of the curriculum does not ensure that pupils know and remember key knowledge. The school should ensure that it is clear in all subjects what pupils ought to remember and that there are opportunities for them to practise their learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the training and expertise required to deliver the curriculum effectively in all subjects. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 In some lessons, the curriculum delivery is not always suitably adapted for disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND. This limits the knowledge and skills they acquire. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced so that the learning needs of disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, are fully met.

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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 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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteachers Hayley Lamb and Lucy Beston

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has undergone significant change since the last inspection.  The school has two co-headteachers who share the role equally. One headteacher was appointed in September 2024. The other headteacher was appointed on a part-time basis in September 2023.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.  The school manages a breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  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 met with the co-headteachers and other school leaders.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector also met with a representative from Suffolk local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors visited lessons,

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reviewed curriculum plans and spoke with curriculum leaders and teachers. They also spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at the work they have completed.  The inspection team scrutinised the school’s records of behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online pupil and staff surveys. They considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils to understand their experience of school.

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Inspection team

Rowena Simmons, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Wade Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 October 2024

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