Holy Trinity Church of England Infant and Nursery

Inspection of Holy Trinity Church of England Infant and Nursery Trinity Lane, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 2AL

p.1

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

p.1

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.1

The executive headteacher of this school is Sue Sanderson. This school is part of Leeds Diocesan Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Richard Noake, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter Foskett. 17 and 18 June 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy here. Positive relationships between staff and pupils are grounded in mutual respect. This adds to the sense of calm in the school. All staff have the same high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Pupils’ positive behaviour is rewarded with ‘gems in the jar’. They enjoy the treats they receive when their jar is full.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Changes to the curriculum have raised the expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils rise to these challenges. They learn the important knowledge and skills they need to be successful. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same, ambitious curriculum and achieve well. Pupils are confident, articulate and excited learners. During lessons, pupils work collaboratively to share their ideas. This starts in the early years, where Reception-age children act as positive role models for their younger, Nursery-age friends.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The roles that pupils undertake help them to become active citizens and develop early leadership skills. Pupil governors, for example, have helped the school develop child- friendly versions of safeguarding and anti-bullying approaches. ‘Book corner buccaneers’ take responsibility for looking after the school’s reading resources. This engenders a sense of respect and responsibility from a young age.

p.2

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

Leaders at all levels, supported by the academy council and the trust, have made significant improvements in the school. Those with responsibility for governance provide the necessary challenge. They ensure the school meets its statutory responsibilities. Staff describe the school as a family. They recognise the positive impact of the changes that the school has made. They appreciate the fact that new initiatives do not add to their workload. Changes to many subject leadership roles have bought energy and rigour to curriculum improvements.

p.2

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

The school’s curriculum has recently changed. The knowledge the school wants pupils to learn is sequenced logically, so that it builds on what they already know. This helps pupils to remember more of what they have learned. Staff receive the training they need to teach the curriculum well. In mathematics, for example, staff model new concepts clearly and make deliberate mistakes to check pupils’ thinking. Teachers make regular checks on pupils’ learning. However, this information is not used well enough to plan what pupils need to learn next and this leads to some gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

p.2

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

Reading is a high priority for the school. In recent years, the school has introduced a new phonics programme. Staff are well trained and teach it effectively. Ongoing mentoring and coaching help staff to refine their practice. The school provides extra help for pupils who find reading difficult. The majority of pupils leave key stage 1 as confident readers.

p.2

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

In the early years, children develop a love of books through the rhymes, songs and stories that they hear. Children have lots of opportunities to write as they learn through play. This includes writing postcards to characters from the stories they have read or 17 and 18 June 2025

p.2

3

making plane tickets for their imaginary flights around the world. However, some staff move pupils in key stage 1 on too quickly in their writing. This is before pupils have a secure understanding of basic sentence punctuation. When this happens, they cannot complete the more complex writing tasks they receive.

p.3

3

High-quality texts are central to the early years curriculum. The promotion of children’s language and communication skills is well considered. In some areas, this work is successful. Inspectors observed children in the mud kitchen enthusiastically describing the ‘soup’ they had made. However, children’s language and vocabulary are not promoted consistently. Interactions between staff and children do not always encourage them to use their newly learned words.

p.3

3

The school quickly identifies pupils with SEND. Staff put the support in place that pupils need to be successful and to learn well. Staff review regularly pupils’ targets on their individual support plans. This ensures that work is well matched to what pupils need to learn next.

p.3

3

Pupils enjoy school and behave well. The school’s behaviour approaches are applied consistently by all staff. They deal with incidents fairly. Pupils are clear on what is expected of them. As a result, learning takes place with minimal disruption.

p.3

3

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. They describe respect, love and care as important to a successful friendship. Pupils understand the importance of fundamental British values. They accept and celebrate people’s differences and enjoy welcoming pupils to school from other countries. Fundraising opportunities for local and international charities help pupils to see themselves as active and responsible members of the school community. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. They recognise the importance of keeping personal details private and not communicating with online strangers.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The interactions that adults have with children in the early years do not always promote the development of children’s vocabulary and language skills. As a result, children’s communication skills are not developed as well as they might be. The school should ensure that opportunities to grow children’s language and vocabulary are prioritised, so that all children benefit from high-quality adult interactions as they learn through play.  Too often, pupils are moved on to more complex writing tasks before they have secured the basics of sentence construction. This affects the quality of pupils’ writing 17 and 18 June 2025

p.3

4

and their ability to record their work in other curriculum areas. The school should ensure that pupils are given sufficient opportunities to practise the basics of sentence construction before they are moved on to more complex writing tasks.  In some subjects, the checks that the school makes on pupils’ learning lacks the necessary detail to clearly identify what pupils know and can do. As a result, it is not used effectively to inform future teaching. This means that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are sometimes missed, and pupils do not consistently build on prior learning as intended. The school should ensure that assessment information is used to inform what pupils are taught next, so that any gaps in their knowledge are remedied before moving on.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 17 and 18 June 2025

p.4

School details

Headteacher Sue Sanderson (executive headteacher)

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England school within the Diocese of Leeds. The last section 48 inspection was in March 2025. The next inspection will be within five years of the last section 48 inspection.  Holy Trinity Church of England Infant and Nursery School converted to become an academy in September 2022. It is part of Leeds Diocesan Learning Trust.  The executive headteacher joined the school in January 2023.  The school is federated with Holy Trinity Church of England Junior School.  The school does not use alternative provision.

p.5

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 17 and 18 June 2025

p.5

6

provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

p.6

6

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, deputy headteacher, other school staff and members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  Meetings were held with a trustee and the CEO. An inspector also met with the deputy director of education for the Diocese of Leeds.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

p.6

6

 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.  An inspector spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  To evaluate pupils’ behaviour, inspectors visited lessons, analysed behaviour records, met with groups of pupils and observed their play at breaktime and lunchtime.

p.6

Inspection team

Chris Pearce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Gerry Wilson Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 June 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

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 .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7