Trinity School

Inspection of Trinity School Strand Road, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1JB

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is David Samson. This school is part of Trinity School, a Church of England Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paul Turney. 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They feel safe and happy. There is a real sense of community. For instance, students in the sixth form help to run several of the clubs that are on offer to younger pupils. Alongside developing pupils’ interests and talents, this fosters strong and caring relationships across the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s expectations of pupils’ achievement and behaviour have risen considerably. Most pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well across a range of subjects. Pupils respond well to the school’s new behaviour policy. They follow routines diligently.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school helps to develop pupils into responsible citizens. For example, the ‘starfish’ eco committee educates others on the impact of food waste. Pupils are aware of different cultures and religions. This helps them to understand the importance of being welcoming and accepting of everyone.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff encourage and help students in the sixth form by carefully building their learning and enrichment experiences over time. Students appreciate the support from staff who know them well and understand how they learn.

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

The school has undergone a significant period of change and development since the previous inspection. For example, considerable improvements have been made to the quality of education that pupils receive. These changes mean that most pupils are now learning well. They are achieving better than the 2023 published outcomes suggest. The school has taken effective action to develop an ambitious curriculum. In key stage 4, a growing number of pupils gain qualifications across the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects. The sixth-form curriculum is particularly broad, with an appropriate range of academic and vocational subjects available.

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

Staff present information clearly. They check pupils’ learning regularly . This means that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge can be identified and responded to quickly. In most subjects, carefully designed activities help pupils to acquire knowledge that builds over time. However, some aspects of the curriculum in a small number of subjects require further development, particularly in Years 7, 8 and 9. For example, in these subjects, the key knowledge that pupils need to know, as well as the order in which they need to learn concepts are not as well defined. As a result, some pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could in these subjects in key stage 3.

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

The school quickly identifies the needs of pupils with SEND. ‘Pupil passports’ outline these pupils’ needs and teachers use this information to adapt learning and to support pupils effectively. The school checks how well all pupils can read. Any pupils who struggle with reading have extra teaching so that they catch up quickly. Across the curriculum, pupils read regularly. They encounter a diverse range of texts in lessons and during tutor times. The welcoming library is a hub of activity. 19 and 20 November 2024

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Behaviour in lessons and at social times is calm and purposeful. The school has recently designed and implemented a new behaviour policy. Staff and pupils recognise that behaviour has improved as a result. The number of significant incidents has reduced. The school takes prompt and robust action to address absences from school. However, there remains a small number of pupils who miss too much school. As a result, they miss valuable learning. The school is not complacent, however. It continues to refine how it supports those few pupils who still find meeting the school’s high expectations for behaviour and attendance challenging.

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Personal development is a thread that runs throughout the school. Leaders have thought carefully about how to provide pupils with rich opportunities and experiences. This includes, for example, trips abroad and a wide variety of clubs such as parkour and the culture club. The school also provides pupils with valuable careers advice and guidance. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, feel well supported with making decisions about their next steps.

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The school has ensured that pupils learn about and build their awareness of concepts such as healthy relationships and online safety. However, a small number of other aspects of the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum, including fundamental British values, are not designed or taught in a coherent, sequenced way. This leaves some pupils not as prepared as they could be for life in modern Britain.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They value the training opportunities for curriculum development. Staff feel that the school is considerate of their workload and well-being. The board of trustees is knowledgeable about the school. It provides effective support and challenge to help the school deliver its vision.

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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 subjects, the content and sequencing of knowledge in key stage 3 is not coherent enough. This hinders pupils from building a deep and secure body of knowledge in these subjects. The school should ensure that, in key stage 3, teachers are clear about the essential subject knowledge that pupils should learn and when this content should be taught.  Some aspects of the PSHE curriculum are not securely implemented. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge of important concepts, including about British values. The school should ensure that all aspects of the PSHE curriculum are implemented fully. 19 and 20 November 2024

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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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1694

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form

Dates of previous inspection 10 to 12 May 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a standalone academy.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Carlisle. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in September 2023. The school is awaiting confirmation from the diocese of when the next section 48 inspection will take place.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school uses one registered and eight unregistered alternative providers. 19 and 20 November 2024

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers. The lead inspector also met with those with responsibility for governance, including the chair of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, geography, music, computing and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke

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Information about this inspection

to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. They looked at pupils work in these subjects.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Sharples, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Scott Maclean Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 2024

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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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