Ossett Holy Trinity CofE VA Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 11 th to 14 th April 2005

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SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 2 Crown copyright 2005

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SCHOOL

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary aided Age range of pupils: 3 to 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 356

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Church Street Ossett West Yorkshire Postcode: WF5 9DG

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01924 303045 Fax number: 01924 303045

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr Geoff Allison

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 17 th January 2000

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This larger than average sized primary school is situated in Ossett, about three miles west of Wakefield. The school admits children between the ages of three and 11. There are currently 310 pupils who attend full-time and a further 46 children attend part-time in the nursery. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average and only one pupil is described as being at an early stage of language acquisition. The proportion of pupils known to be entitled to free school meals is around 4.2 per cent, which is below the national average. Attainment on entry to the nursery is best described as average, although the full range of attainment is represented. The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs is below the national average. One pupil has a statement of special educational need. Thirty other pupils have various needs which include learning or physical difficulties and social, emotional and behavioural problems. The

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

school holds the Investors in People Award (2001), Charter Mark (2004), and a School Achievement Award in 2002. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

18463 Steve Bywater Lead inspector Foundation Stage Science Art and design Music English as an additional language 9146 Mark Brennand Lay inspector 18101 J Ann Sharpe Team inspector English Design and technology Geography History Personal, social and health education and citizenship 2759 Derek Sleightholme Team inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Physical education Special educational needs

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

peakschoolhaus BPS Business Centre Brake Lane Boughton Nottinghamshire NG22 9HQ

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 30

Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 6 Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 7

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This is a good and effective school with a number of very good features. It provides

very good value for money. Teaching and learning are good and as a result, pupils achieve well. Pupils make good progress over time and standards are well above average in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. A rich and interesting curriculum motivates pupils well. Children have very good attitudes and very good relationships with adults and each other. Pupils behave well. This is a caring school which has very good links with parents and positive relationships with other schools and the community. Leadership and management are good.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• There is high quality teaching in the Foundation Stage 1 and especially in Years 5 to 6, but the teaching in Years 1 to 4 is mostly satisfactory. • In Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in English and mathematics when compared with all schools nationally and those in similar circumstances. • The headteacher provides very good leadership. • A well-planned curriculum, enhanced by a very good range of extra-curricular activities, promotes pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. • Pupils are too regularly withdrawn for literacy work and curriculum entitlement is compromised. • Parents are justifiably satisfied with the education, care and support that their children receive.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The school has developed well since the last inspection. Standards in science have improved as a result of a more focused approach to experimental and investigational work. There are more opportunities for extended writing and day-to-day planning more consistently focuses on specific learning objectives.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils achieve well overall . Children enter the school with standards best described as average for their age. By the end of the Foundation Stage children achieve standards which are above average for their age. The results in the table below relate to the pupils in Year 6 who took the tests last year. The information shows that standards when compared with all schools and similar schools in English and mathematics were very high (top five per cent of schools) and in science standards were above the national average.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004 English C C A* A* mathematics C D A* A*

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

1 The Foundation Stage begins when children reach the age of three and ends at the end of the reception class. It is a distinct stage in preparing children for later schooling and is based on six areas of learning. These mainly refer to: communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; and personal, social and emotional development, but also include: knowledge and understanding of the world and physical and creative development. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 8 science C C B B Key: A* - very high; A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2. Currently, standards by the end of Year 6 are well above national expectations in English and mathematics, and pupils achieve well. This is partly because of the school’s initiatives such as booster classes and additional literacy sessions which have helped to produce high

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

standards in these subjects. Standards in science and information and communication technology (ICT) are above expectations. Due to limited observations, there was too little evidence to make a firm judgement about standards and achievement in other subjects, although high quality work was seen in many of them, particularly art. Achievement is at its best in Years 5 and 6 where teaching is of high quality. In Years 1 to 4, achievement is satisfactory but not as good as it should be for the more capable pupils.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good . There is a very warm ‘family’ atmosphere where pupils’ views are sought are valued. Pupils display a clear sense of belonging to their school and with very good attitudes and relationships and good behaviour, unpleasant incidents are rare. Pupils are punctual and the attendance rate is well above the national average.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is good . Teaching overall is effective and the school has a rich and generally well-balanced curriculum . There is particularly high quality teaching in Years 5 to 6 and good quality teaching in the Foundation Stage. In these year groups teachers prepare interesting lessons to capture pupils’ attention. A significant minority of lessons in Years 1 to 4 are satisfactory but lack sparkle. Teachers plan well and ensure pupils are aware of what they are expected to learn. Teachers and pupils get on very well with each other and this improves pupils’ learning. Pupils respond well, showing interest in their work. Assessment overall is satisfactory, though it is good in the Foundation Stage and in English and mathematics. Pupils with special educational needs are taught well and receive effective support by high quality support assistants. However, pupils occasionally miss important lessons when they are withdrawn for additional work in literacy. The school

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

enhances learning through a very good range of well-organised activities. There is a good level of care. Links with parents are very good and there are productive links with other schools and the community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are good overall . The leadership of the headteacher, supported by the talented deputy headteacher, is very good. The leadership of key staff is good. Together, the headteacher, deputy and staff team share a clear vision and high aspirations to ensure that the school develops and improves. Elements such as self-evaluation, monitoring of performance data and continuing professional development of staff are very good. The work of the governing body is good. Governors help to shape the direction of school and ensure that all legal requirements are met.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are very happy with the school and express strong views that the school is very caring and supportive towards their children. Pupils are very enthusiastic and love coming to school. They think very highly of the school and speak enthusiastically about their teachers and their experiences. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 9

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important thing the school should do to improve is:

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Develop a greater consistency of teaching across school so it more closely matches the high quality of teaching seen in the Foundation Stage and in Years 5 to 6.

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Children enter the school with standards which match those normally expected for their age. Overall, children achieve well . Pupils with special educational needs and those pupils of other ethnic groups achieve well as they progress through the school. In Year 2, pupils attain standards which are generally above expectations in English and mathematics and by Year 6, standards are generally well above expectations.

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

• Overall pupils attain above average standards because the quality of teaching and learning is good. • Pupils achieve particularly well in Years 5 and 6 and the Foundation Stage. • Pupils with learning difficulties are well supported and achieve well.

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Commentary

1. Most children enter the school with average skills although the full range of ability is represented. They receive a solid start and make good progress through the nursery and reception classes, continually building on what they have learnt. They achieve very well in their personal, social and emotional development because the teaching is very good. They also achieve well in their communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. By the end of reception, most children have reached the standards expected of them in all six areas of learning and several children have exceeded them. Many show maturity in personal, social and emotional development and they have good skills in speaking and listening. Several are reading independently and beginning to write their own sentences and complete simple number sums. Higher attaining children are already working towards Level 1 of the

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Commentary

2. The following table shows the school’s results in the national tests for 2004. Standards by the end of Year 2 were well above the national average in reading and average in writing and mathematics. When compared with pupils in similar schools, pupils’ performance was above average in reading but below average in writing and Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 10 mathematics. The four-year trend in the school’s average point scores in Key Stage 1 is above the national trend.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in2004

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 17.4 (16.6) 15.8 (15.7) writing 15.0 (15.6) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 16.7 (16.6) 16.2 (16.3) There were 44 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

3. The following table shows the results pupils in Year 6 attained in 2004. When compared with all schools and similar schools, standards in English and mathematics were very high (top five per cent of schools) and above average in science. The four- year trend in the school’s average point scores in Key Stage 2 is above the national trend. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 11 Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 30.1 (27.3) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 30.3 (26.4) 27.0 (26.8) science 29.5 (29.3) 28.6 (28.6) There were 46 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

4. Standards in speaking and listening, reading, writing and mathematics are above average by the end of Year 2 and well above average by the end of Year 6. In science, pupils achieve particularly well in the practical aspects of science because the school places a significant emphasis on investigational work which motivates pupils very well. Standards are broadly in line with national expectations in Year 2 and above national expectations in Year 6. ICT has been a key priority for school development over the past few years and as a result there has been good improvement in its provision. Standards are in line with those expected of pupils at the end of Year 2 and above expectations by the end of Year 6 as pupils confidently apply their skills in all subjects.

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Commentary

5. In all the subjects above, pupils’ achievement is at its very highest point in Years 5 and 6. There are clear reasons for this. Teachers of pupils in the three classes covering Years 5 and 6 have high expectations of the standards that pupils should reach. They hold pupils’ attention well by teaching the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding in a lively and meaningful way, some using interactive classroom boards very effectively. However, there are lessons in Years 1 to 4 when achievement is not as good as it should be, especially for the more capable pupils. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in Years 1 and 2, and good, overall, in Years 3 to 6.

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Commentary

6. There was too little evidence to make a firm judgement about standards and achievement in other subjects although high quality work was seen in many other subjects, particularly art.

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Commentary

7. Throughout the school there is currently no difference between the attainment of boys and girls. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well. This reflects the good support they receive from teaching assistants.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Attendance and punctuality are very good . Pupils’ attitudes to their school are very good . Behaviour is good . Personal development is very good , particularly pupils’ moral and social development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils have a high regard for their school. • The school develops responsibility and relationships very well. • The strong moral code has a positive influence on behaviour. • There is a high level of attendance.

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Commentary

8. Holy Trinity Primary School is a school which has successfully created an environment where pupils are enthusiastic and keen to learn. Attendance is a prime indicator of whether children Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 12 enjoy coming to school and over the last 12 months it has been well above the national average. In lessons, when teaching is challenging, pupils show high levels of enthusiasm. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, show good attitudes to learning because they find the work they are asked to do interesting and appropriate to their level of understanding. The school provides a wide and stimulating diet of extra-curricular activities, all of which are well supported and interviews with pupils confirmed that they hold the school in high regard.

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Commentary

9. Social development is also a strong feature evidenced by the way the school encourages pupils to take on responsibility and create good relationships. A recurring theme in lessons was the strength of the relationships between staff and pupils. This begins in the nursery where staff value the efforts of children and use praise well to motivate them. In Year 5/6, lively engaging teaching captures pupils’ interest and the way lessons are planned ensures that there are good opportunities for collaborative learning. The environment in the school, where children are valued, has engendered a sense of responsibility amongst pupils. The Befrienders scheme, paired reading, the school council and house captains are just a few of the ways in which the school encourages children to accept responsibility, which they do very willingly.

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Commentary

10. The Christian beliefs of compassion and consideration for others are central to the way in which the school instils pupils with a sense of right and wrong and it is successful in this. As a consequence behaviour in the school is good. It is very good in assemblies where children sit quietly and listen very well, as it is in the dining room at lunchtime. In the vast majority of lessons observed behaviour was good or better, particularly when teaching set clear and consistent expectations and was combined with the use of praise. In some lessons, however, there was occasional low-level disruption mainly associated with a lack of pace or a failure to reinforce requests.

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Attendance

11. Attendance in the academic year 2003/04 was at 96.4 per cent which is very good. Parents are keen for their children to attend and they are also good at informing the school when their children are absent. Punctuality is also generally good, with the majority of pupils arriving in time for the start of the school day. There are good systems for monitoring attendance through a first day response for absentees and incentives, in the form of an attendance prize and certificates for 100 per cent attendance, are much valued.

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Attendance

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year 2003-4 96.4%

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Attendance

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 3.6 School data 0.0 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 13

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is good. Teaching and learning are good and the school provides a good curriculum. Assessment is satisfactory. The quality of care, support and guidance is good. There are very good links with parents, and links with other schools and the community are good.

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Teaching and learning

The overall quality of teaching is good and as a consequence, the quality of learning is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching in the Foundation Stage and in Years 5 and 6 is of high quality. • Teaching in Years 1 to 4 lacks pace and challenge at times • Teachers and pupils share very good relationships. • Teachers effectively employ a number of different styles and create an interesting and exciting environment. • Teachers plan well and where possible link subjects together. • There is effective support for children with special educational needs.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 41 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

1 (2%) 6 (15%) 15 (37%) 18 (44%) 1 (2%) 0 0

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen. 12. Although teaching is judged to be good overall, there are inconsistencies between year groups. Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage, satisfactory in Years 1, 2, 3 and 4, and very good overall in Years 5 and 6. A very good feature of many lessons is the use of links between subjects. Parents are generally very pleased with the standard of teaching.

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Commentary

13. Teaching is consistently of a high standard in the nursery and reception classes and this promotes good learning and good achievement. It shows that the teachers and nursery nurses have a thorough understanding of the learning needs of young children. They use this to organise the classroom and the outdoor areas into a stimulating environment that, rightly, encourages play, investigation and the development of children’s independence as central features. Staff work very hard to engage children in conversation. There is an appropriate balance between the activities children choose for themselves and those organised and supervised by the many adults who work in the Foundation Stage.

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Commentary

14. The key strength which characterises the effectiveness of the teaching throughout the school is the very good relationships which all teachers and support staff share with pupils. They know pupils well and often share news. The pupils have respect and affection for the teachers and try their best for them. Teachers use praise and support effectively and have very good strategies to manage behaviour. As a result, pupils have high self-esteem, listen to their teachers, are keen to answer questions and work Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 14 hard to complete their work. The most effective lessons, especially those seen in Years 5 and 6, are lively and interesting. There is a happy and relaxed, but businesslike, atmosphere in these lessons. Some lessons in Years 1 to 4 lack sparkle and pupils’ learning, especially the higher attainers, is consequently slower than those in Years 5 and 6.

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Commentary

15. Teachers successfully balance teaching the whole class with opportunities for enquiry, and for pupils to work independently and co-operatively. The different strategies for the organisation of groups and classes provide good opportunities for pupils to demonstrate their progress and to refine and enhance their work. Pupils are often given good opportunities to solve problems, handle materials and use and enhance their skills and knowledge. A good feature in many lessons is the teaching of the whole class which always includes good explanations and questioning to promote thinking. Pupils respond enthusiastically and know that their contributions are valued. Teachers work hard to create classrooms which excite, inform, educate and motivate. There are items for pupils to look at and to answer questions about and things to touch, examine and observe. Almost every classroom has pupils’ work and resources attractively

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Commentary

16. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is good. In most lessons, teachers share the objectives with the class at the beginning of the lesson so that pupils clearly understand what they have to do. They use the final sessions of the lessons effectively to reinforce the learning objectives and evaluate pupils’ progress.

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Commentary

17. Teachers generally work well together and plan work conscientiously to provide interesting starting points; for example, visits and visitors motivate and engage pupils in their learning. However, the noticeable difference is in Years 1 and 2 where this joint planning does not happen enough. In the best lessons teachers have high expectations of their pupils and set challenging targets for them. However, in a number of satisfactory lessons the challenge was only adequate and the pace was too slow as pupils had to sit and listen for too long.

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Commentary

18. Teachers effectively find links between subjects. Pupils are given opportunities to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding, and to realise that learning is not an isolated experience. Literacy skills are promoted very well through subjects, such as history and religious education. There is good evidence of ICT being used effectively by teachers who have access to the interactive whiteboards and pupils who research and enhance their work in mathematics and science, use the Internet to find information in their history and geography work and use the computer to produce their art work.

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Commentary

19. The good learning by pupils who have special educational needs stems from the focused teaching that they receive. Individual education plans are suitably prepared and reviewed regularly. Learning support assistants provide effective and caring support for pupils with special educational needs. They have a good understanding of the progress made by pupils who have special educational needs. This is an important factor in the good progress made by these pupils.

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Commentary

20. Assessment in the nursery and reception classes is good and helps to create individual profiles for all areas of learning. In Years 1 to 6, teachers use the information about pupils’ performance and achievement in English and mathematics from regular assessments and statutory and optional end-of-year tests to track pupils’ progress and to intervene and help pupils to achieve even more. However, many pupils, mostly in Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 15 Years 1 to 4, know little about what they need to do to improve their work, and the quality of marking of work varies considerably between classes. Teachers are beginning to assess how well pupils are achieving in their science, ICT and other subjects, although this is at an early stage of development.

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The curriculum

Overall, the school provides a good curriculum, with very good additional activities that enhance pupils’ academic and social development. The accommodation and resources are good .

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The curriculum

• The curriculum for pupils in Years 5 and 6 makes a very strong contribution to the very high standards they achieve. • Very good curriculum links between subjects make learning meaningful for the pupils. • Extra-curricular activities and a wide range of other activities enrich the curriculum very well. • Provision for pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education is very good. • Withdrawal of a few pupils from normal class lessons, particularly for additional help with reading and writing, limits their access to the full range of work. • Very good accommodation and learning resources in the Foundation Stage help children to make a successful start to their education.

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Commentary

23. Since the previous inspection, the school has tackled the issues identified in the report well, and improvement has been good. Provision for the outdoor curriculum in the Foundation Stage has improved, along with the thoughtful and high quality refurbishment of the indoor premises to provide space and resources for teaching both nursery and reception age children. The very good accommodation and resources enable children to achieve well in all areas of their learning. Consequently, they make a head start with future work when they transfer to Year 1. Teachers in all other classes now provide many more opportunities for pupils to practise and improve their writing skills as an integral part of work in other subjects. This is helping to raise standards in writing, particularly in Years 5 and 6.

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Commentary

24. The curriculum meets requirements and provides a broad and balanced programme of work, with very good opportunities for enrichment. It is particularly effective in raising achievement in Years 5 and 6, where teachers are notably innovative in planning meaningful links between subjects in a way that provides excitement and enjoyment in learning. Current work in English and geography, for example, links very well with the forthcoming residential visit to Boggle Hole. The school, rightly, places a lot of emphasis on provision for pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education, and all teachers plan a wide range of lessons and activities to encourage the pupils. The very good provision for participating in sport and the arts draws out the best in the pupils. The school council, involvement in a national social, emotional and behavioural teaching programme, along with a very wide range of extra-curricular activities and

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Commentary

residential visits, all contribute towards helping pupils to become sensible, thoughtful, mature and confident pupils by the end of Year 6. This very good provision also helps to ensure the smooth transfer of pupils to their next stage of education. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 16 25. The school’s approach towards ensuring inclusion and equality of opportunity is good, overall. Provision for pupils with special education needs is good. Pupils access a curriculum where priority is given to basic skills in literacy and numeracy. There are times, however, when a few pupils receiving extra help to achieve higher standards in reading and writing are withdrawn from lessons in other subjects, such as art and design or design and technology. This means that their access to the full curriculum is interrupted so that programmes of support can be implemented. While the building has adequate access for the disabled from the outdoors, it is not yet modified for taking

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Commentary

pupils requiring wheelchair mobility indoors, should a request be received.

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Care, guidance and support

Procedures to ensure pupils’ welfare and safety are good . The support, advice and guidance provided for pupils’ is good . There are very good arrangements for seeking pupils’ views.

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Care, guidance and support

• The school council plays a positive role in shaping the work of the school • There is a high level of care, particularly in regard to first aid • Pupils have great confidence in their teachers

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Care, guidance and support

26. The way in which the school seeks pupils’ views through the school council is very good. Interviews with councillors confirm that they feel valued and that the school takes their suggestions very seriously. The headteacher takes a particular interest in its role and has gone to considerable lengths to ensure that the process of electing councillors is as near to the actual experience of an election as is possible. In existence for over five years, the council has been influential in a number of areas including improving the provision for water through the installation of water coolers and classroom water bottles, getting air fresheners fitted in the toilets and benches in the playground and being consulted on the recently updated anti- bullying policy.

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Care, guidance and support

27. Holy Trinity Primary School is a school in which there are very effective arrangements for the care and welfare of pupils. First aid arrangements are very good with three fully qualified first aiders allied to a very empathetic approach and there are very clear guidelines for the administration of medicines. Accident records are monitored regularly by the headteacher and analysed to see if there are any trends which indicate that arrangements need to be modified to remedy the cause. The school is also well served by a pro-active caretaker who maintains the building to a high standard. Overall supervision in the nursery is good but the number of choices available for outdoor play makes it difficult to provide an acceptable level of care for all the activities on offer.

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Care, guidance and support

28. The strength of the relationships between staff and pupils is an additional factor in making pupils feel safe and secure in their school. They are confident that their teachers are receptive to their concerns and that they listen and act upon them. They are also confident that the school is free from bullying and that, on the very rare occasions that it occurs, it is dealt with quickly and effectively. The results can be seen in confident pupils who are uninhibited when asked to role-play during lessons and assemblies.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 17 The school has established very good links with parents. It has established good links with the community and other schools and colleges.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents have a high regard for the headteacher and his staff • Broad and productive links have been established with parents • There a strong links with other schools and good support for initial teacher training

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Main strengths and weaknesses

29. Parents have very positive views of the school and the way it relates to them. They make particular reference to the headteacher and his staff who they feel are welcoming and who are quick to deal with complaints when they occur. In turn the school acknowledges the goodwill that it receives from parents and it builds on this by providing them with regular information. Newsletters, information sheets, curriculum evenings and class assemblies all ensure that parents are kept well informed about events in the school. Each year the headteacher conducts an Ofsted style questionnaire to canvass parents’ views. Last year they raised concerns about homework and bullying, and as a result their views were incorporated in the recently revised homework and anti-bullying policies. Annual reports on pupils’ progress are good and in tandem with termly consultation evenings they provide parents with a good indication of how their children are progressing. Parents are encouraged to help in

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Main strengths and weaknesses

lessons during the day and there is a very active parent teacher association which organises a number of successful social, educational and fund-raising events throughout the year.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

30. On leaving Holy Trinity the majority of pupils go to Ossett Comprehensive and there are good arrangements in place to ensure the smooth transition from Year 6 to Year 7. Much of this stems from the good liaison between the respective headteachers which has initiated a commitment to ensure that children hit the ground running when they start. As part of the management of this activity there are regular reciprocal visits by staff, cognitive ability tests, bridging activities in literacy and numeracy and a one-day induction when children get the opportunity to meet their form teachers and become familiar with their new surroundings. The headteacher is also an external adviser, a role which allows him to see a wide range of practice in other schools. Where it is good, he will invariably apply it at Holy Trinity.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

31. As a school which embraces the philosophy of personal development Holy Trinity has established strong ties with Leeds University through which to support their student teacher programme. Each year the school offers placements to around eight students, who gain greatly from the opportunity to teach in the school.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall, leadership and management are good . Leadership by the headteacher is very good ; by the key staff it is good . The governance of the school is good . The effectiveness of management is good .

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

• The headteacher promotes a very positive and clear vision for the school. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 18 • The governors provide good support and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. • School development planning is very good and stems from effective self-evaluation and good teamwork. • There are some very good monitoring procedures that focus action on raising standards. • Staff performance is reviewed thoroughly and they have access to very good training opportunities. There are good arrangements for supporting teachers new to the school. • Financial practices are very good.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

32. Leadership and management have improved since the previous inspection. The headteacher sets a very good example to staff and pupils through his commitment to promoting a positive ethos and high standards. Under his very good leadership the school aims to promote a partnership between parents, teachers and children, a caring atmosphere, high standards of behaviour and pupils’ personal development. These aims are met well. Pupils respect the headteacher’s authority, they enjoy contact with him, he knows them well and he is keen to work with them regularly. During the inspection pupils from Years 5 and 6 confidently raised questions with the headteacher about their forthcoming field study visit and he, in turn, listened carefully to their points of view. This is typical of the ethos promoted throughout the school where personal opinions are valued and respect for each other is encouraged.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

33. Through the headteacher’s very good leadership and good support from key managers there has been good improvement since the previous inspection. All the weaknesses identified at that time have been successfully addressed. In addition, standards in 2004 at age 11 were noticeably much higher than in recent years. The school is popular with parents and oversubscribed.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

34. The effective governors provide good support and expertise. Their role is well developed and they are well informed about the school. They are keen to find out more about the school and provide sufficient challenge to ensure that the school provides well for the children. Governors work effectively with the headteacher and staff and play an effective part in the future direction and development of the school. Many of them spend a reasonable amount of time in school and this ensures that they have a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. A very positive feature is the publication ‘Little Acorns’ which is produced for parents by the governors and gives information about forthcoming events and developments. The governing body carries out its statutory duties well.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

35. There are good systems to secure the views of all stakeholders as a precursor to the formal process of school development planning. The staff work as a team to audit progress in the previous year before completing individual questionnaires that are submitted to senior managers for analysis. The managers discuss the emerging priorities, drawing appropriately on analysis of pupil performance, school statistical data, the views of parents and national and local education authority priorities. They check emerging priorities against the overall aims of the school. The use of a professional development day for senior managers in conjunction with the chair of governors shows how the profile of this strategic decision-making process has been raised.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

36. Good improvement has been made in strengthening monitoring systems to judge standards, pupil progress and the quality of teaching. Checks made of monitoring evidence for Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 19 mathematics and literacy show that there is a formal programme of monitoring activities that includes regular observations of teaching including lesson planning, discussions with pupils, scrutiny of their completed work and analysis of their individual tracking data. The rigorous approach to timetabling lesson observations and scrutiny of work and the focus on sampling pupils’ progress at three levels of attainment gives status to these aspects of leadership and management. Monitoring documentation shows that the information gained through the process is used to help identify the staff training programme. The impact of these practices is convincingly demonstrated in the 2004 results where, as a result of better-focused teaching,

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

there was improvement in standards in both Year 2 and Year 6, where standards were the best of all recent years.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

37. The professional development of staff and the way their performance is reviewed is very good. It features unit managers operating as team leaders. The well-structured process recognises the achievement of individuals towards their agreed objectives and an opportunity to discuss personal professional needs that emerge from these reviews. The support for teachers joining the school is good with teachers reporting that they have been supported well and provided with clear and timely information relating to the pupils they are teaching and the day-to-day operation of the school.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

38. Financial practices are very good. The school makes good use of the local education authority finance service that provides regular updates of the budget profile. The deployment of finance closely matches the school priorities with specific funding, such as that for pupils with special educational needs, strictly allocated to budget headings. Best value principles are followed well and based on an informed view of the service parents wish the school to provide, how pupils’ performance compares with that of similar schools and the most efficient way of securing services that are needed. For example, the governors backed the headteacher’s wish to invest funds in securing the services of a ceramics specialist because it led to high quality output by the pupils and enhanced learning experiences. Whilst budget allocation results in the school running at below average costs, pupils achieve well overall. The school provides very good

p.19

Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

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Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 703423 Balance from previous year 7821 Total expenditure 708309 Balance carried forward to the next year 2935 Expenditure per pupil 2300 Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 20

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good .

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Children’s attainment is similar to most children nationally when they start in the nursery class. In both the nursery and the two reception classes, good provision for children of all capabilities and backgrounds supports their good achievement. Teaching is good and support staff contribute very effectively to the well-planned learning activities. Parents happily and confidently bring their children into school and there is good co-operative leadership and effective management. All these factors have a positive impact on developing learning and raising standards. Major strengths in the provision are the way in which the generous number of teachers and the support staff work as a highly effective team in the stimulating nursery and reception classes, the newly introduced scheme of work and associated detailed planning, the resources to support children’s learning and the detailed assessment records kept of individual children. This is very good improvement

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

By the time the children reach Year 1, most children are on course to meet the expected levels in all areas of learning, and a significant proportion of children exceed them.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is very good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Relationships with adults and peers are very good. • The children are happy and well settled. • Experiences encourage interest and a positive start to learning. • Staff know the children well and respond successfully to a wide range of needs.

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Commentary

39. Children achieve very well during their time in both the nursery and reception classes. The oldest four-year-olds in school are on course to reach and in a majority of cases exceed the expected levels by the time that they leave the school. Many of them are already attaining the early learning goals.

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Commentary

40. Staff and children enjoy each other’s company and this enables children to feel secure in the school and leave their parents willingly at the beginning of the school session. The older children in particular are confident and enjoy effective relationships with one another and the adults in the school. They talk to others with confidence and explore new activities eagerly. They work and play happily on their own, but are just as happy working with others, particularly in the role-play areas. They concentrate very well and persevere with their tasks. They always seek help from adults when they need it. They are not afraid to leave their teacher to explore the activities set up in the classrooms, often selecting for themselves what to do next. They are sensitive to the feelings of others and socialise well. They wait their turn and share fairly, for example when they eat their snacks and play on the outdoor wheeled toys. Children behave

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Commentary

very well in the foundation unit and know right from wrong. Children have produced hand prints to show their ‘kind hands’. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 21 41. The quality of teaching is very good, largely because staff know the children so well and understand their needs. The development of children’s personal and social skills permeates the entire curriculum. Teaching meets the needs of both the youngest and oldest children and also takes close account of the child with English as an additional language and the differing cultural background. Children with special educational needs are supported particularly well. Consequently, their self-esteem is enhanced and they are able to take part in all activities confidently and with a sense of success.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a clear focus on developing the children’s speaking skills. • A wide range of high quality resources and experiences supports learning.

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Commentary

42. By the time they leave the reception class, standards are above the levels expected in speaking and listening and reading, and meet the levels expected in writing. Many children enter school, with limited communication, language and literacy skills but achieve well because language is promoted very well throughout the nursery and reception classes. Children with special educational needs make very good progress in developing communication skills. Those who have difficulty in speaking are given effective support, particularly in group situations. They make good gains in confidence and in expressing themselves. They join in with all language activities and are enthusiastic about sharing books and writing tasks.

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Commentary

43. Speaking is valued, and there are many books, labels and captions to stimulate the children’s interest. Consequently, children make good progress during their time in the foundation unit. Teachers encourage children to develop their conversation and vocabulary well through role- play and co-operative activities. They listen attentively to stories told by adults and also on tapes. The children's love and enjoyment of books are carefully fostered. Children often go into the book area and look at books for themselves. They know how to handle them and how to use them by starting at the front page first. Most of them recognise their own name in print and, for example, can register themselves in the morning by selecting the tag which has their name on it. A good proportion of children recognise the names of others and know which ones are missing from the registration board. Children make good progress in early reading skills

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Commentary

and in recognising the name or sound of letters. All children are developing good mark-making skills and some are beginning to use emergent writing. Higher attainers write their own names correctly and most children can copy write them. They use a correct pencil grip and are comfortable with a good range of pencils and felt tipped markers. The school promotes early writing skills well and provides a wide range of good quality resources and opportunities for children to make patterns or undertake mark making. Children in the café play area fill in menus and customer orders!

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Commentary

44. Teaching is good. Adult intervention in role-play promotes children’s language skills very effectively. A constant flow of conversation takes place between adults and children and new vocabulary is reinforced well. As a result, children are keen to offer their ideas. They are able to discuss what they are doing and can explain this well. For example, children in the home corner could discuss what they would do if the cooker caught fire. They make good progress in listening through learning and reciting rhymes and becoming familiar with characters in books. All staff provide good quality story-telling sessions and use resources to enhance them. For example, a model bridge and puppets of goats and trolls helped to convey the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff . They choose relevant and interesting books to read and tell stories with good Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 22 expression and meaning and encourage children to use words such as ‘scary’, ‘fierce’ and

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Commentary

‘angry’. They use enlarged texts well and encourage interaction by asking children to predict the next event in the story. During writing tasks, teachers focus children's attention well by asking relevant questions and prompting them to talk about their writing. Much of this is linked to their topic work. For example, when writing about themselves, one child wrote, “I hav got wun brother”. Good use is made of praise and encouragement and work is shared with other groups.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good use of assessment leads to effective planning of work. • Children have positive attitudes and enjoy their mathematics work.

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Commentary

45. Most of the children are on course to meet the early learning goals by the time they leave the reception class and a significant proportion will exceed them. All children including those with special educational needs achieve well in both the nursery and reception classes.

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Commentary

46. Teachers have a secure knowledge and understanding of the needs of children in the Foundation Stage. They make accurate assessments and keep detailed records of children's progress. The information generated is well used to plan work for individual children. Most children in nursery can count to five and a significant proportion in the reception class go beyond 20. Staff encourage children to learn counting skills, for example through counting the number of boys and girls present in their groups and by singing number rhymes. Most children are beginning to write their own numbers and some of them are beginning to do simple addition and subtractions. Support staff are effectively deployed to support group work and those children who have special educational needs.

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Commentary

47. Work is well planned and the learning objectives are specific and as a result of this the teaching is well focused. Staff try to link their teaching of different areas of learning where possible. For example, in the mathematical area most children recognise and name two- and three-dimensional shapes, then in the creative area they create pictures and model robots with them.

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Commentary

48. Children have very positive attitudes and show curiosity and interest in virtually all the activities they undertake and they remain on task for appropriate periods of time. During free choice activities children have plenty of opportunities to experience activities that support their understanding and learning in mathematics. During time spent working in the sand pit and in the water trough, children are set tasks by which they develop a suitable understanding of weight and capacity. The staff are good at promoting and developing children's mathematical language such as ‘in front of’ and ‘behind’ and children are developing a good understanding of pattern and symmetry. Most children recognise and name a range of colours and are making good progress in developing their knowledge of number, shape, space and measure because of the good quality of the teaching and the opportunities they are given. A further

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Commentary

strength in the teaching is the good use of ICT to support children's learning and understanding in mathematics.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good . Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 23

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Activities are well planned and linked to first-hand experiences. • Activities are imaginative and enjoyable.

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Commentary

49. Most children are likely to attain the expected levels for their age by the time they leave reception. Children achieve well. Good progress is made in all aspects of this area of learning.

p.23

Commentary

50. Teaching is good and this makes a significant contribution to the good progress which children make. Planning is effective and staff prepare a range of appropriate first-hand activities and key questions which are used to guide the children's learning as they experience the wide variety of appropriate activities. They explain things very clearly to the children and make very good use of resources. For example, when a group was being taught about the differences in tastes and smells, children tasted lemon juice, salt and vinegar crisps and sweets and they were able to smell containers containing coffee, toothpaste and fish. Such activities get over the concepts in a lively and interesting way that captures their imagination and interest. Teachers also link this work to tasting foods from India and China to develop in children knowledge and taste of the food of other cultures. They make good use of visitors, which

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Commentary

enables children to learn, for example, how people can help them. The children's attention was well captured when a health visitor brought her scales and weighed a baby.

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Commentary

51. Teachers make good use of ICT to support children in all areas of learning. They develop mouse skills and representational skills as they create faces on screen and dress a teddy.

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Commentary

52. Children learn about the past and find out about the area in which they live, saying what they like and dislike about it. They use tools appropriately and develop the skills of cutting and joining. A positive aspect of this work is that it is related directly to providing children with worthwhile and relevant experiences. They learn through their water play that some objects sink whilst others float. Through the very good quality role-play, they are making good gains in their knowledge and understanding of the world. This is clearly evident in the structured play that takes place, for example, in the ‘baby clinic’ and ‘café’ areas.

p.23

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Outdoor play is developed well. • A good range of activities helps to develop children’s fine motor skills.

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Commentary

53. Children achieve well throughout the Foundation Stage. Most are on course to meet the expected outcomes for their age by the time they leave the reception class. Many will exceed them.

p.23

Commentary

54. Teaching is good. Teachers make very good use of the outdoor area to set up purposeful and worthwhile structured play opportunities for the children. Staff are active and successfully intervene and support play. As a result, children in nursery and reception classes use space sensibly and safely, moving freely between activities. They demonstrate both good co- ordination and an awareness of others, for example as they ride their wheeled vehicles around the playground. They can pedal them at speed, slowing them down when they need to turn a corner or avoid another child's vehicle. Children show a real enthusiasm for outdoor activities. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 24 Equipment is of good quality and well organised; it is easily accessible to the children giving them plenty of opportunities to make a variety of choices. Whilst the outdoor facility is good, better and imaginative use could be made of floor markings to enable children to become

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Commentary

aware of road safety, for example. The school is well aware of this and is developing a detailed action plan to improve this facility.

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Commentary

55. Children are making good progress in the development of their physical skills through the many and appropriate opportunities they are given. Their fine manual skills are well developed through a comprehensive range of good quality activities. For example, they learn to use a whole range of woodworking tools safely and successfully and use domestic tools such as rolling pins and pastry cutters to make models using play dough. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 25

p.24

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching ensures children are provided with a wide range of media and creative activities to develop their skills.

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Commentary

56. Most children are on course to attain levels in line with those expected nationally by the time they leave the reception class. Children throughout the Foundation Stage achieve well.

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Commentary

57. The quality of teaching in this area is good. All staff are good at drawing children's thoughts and ideas out through skilled questioning and prompting. They are very supportive during creative activities, encouraging children to experiment and investigate and patiently helping them to develop their ideas further. Each child's contribution is valued and praised. This approach motivates children well and they become increasingly independent and unafraid to make mistakes.

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Commentary

58. Much creative work is linked successfully to other areas of learning and allows children to practise their skills in a purposeful way. For example, when celebrating Christmas, with help from a ceramicist, children made clay presents for their parents.

p.25

Commentary

59. Children use their imaginations well to act out their ideas in different settings. For example, children in the café play areas act out their roles as waiters and waitresses and develop their vocabulary and creative thoughts well.

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Commentary

60. Children produce drawings and paintings using a wide range of media such as paint, chalk and pastel crayons, which are of a good standard, and some are better than is typical for their age. All children are developing well in representing what they feel or can see and enjoy tactile experiences, such as the wet and dry sand and play dough. Children also have a good range of opportunities to use their hands with a variety of materials and to represent their ideas through clay, dough, collage, painting, printing and model making. They are competent at mixing paint and some can mix more complex colours such as green and purple.

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Commentary

61. Progress in making and sharing music is good. Children join in readily and enjoy singing songs and rhymes. Most choose and play a selection of untuned percussion instruments. They can identify their names and know the sounds they make and the range of ways that music can be made.

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ENGLISH

• Pupils in Years 5 and 6 achieve very well as a result of well-planned lessons that challenge pupils to improve their work. • The subject co-ordinator is an excellent role model for other teachers. • An inconsistency in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment sometimes limits pupils’ achievement in Years 1 to 4. Although the standard of writing has improved Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 26 since the previous inspection, handwriting and presentation remain weaker areas of pupils’ work. • Teachers are very good at planning meaningful opportunities for pupils to write across all the subjects of the curriculum.

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Commentary

62. The standard of pupils’ speaking, listening, reading and writing is above the national average by Year 2 and well above the national average by Year 6. When taking account of pupils’ progress and their capabilities, this represents good achievement overall for both girls and boys. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because of good support from classroom assistants. The 2004 Year 6 national test results improved significantly on previous years’, and the school’s performance was in the highest five per cent in the country, as well as being significantly better than results for similar schools. The school has set challenging targets for the 2005 Year 6 test results, and pupils’ current work suggests that they are on track to meet them.

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Commentary

63. Pupils’ achievement is at its very highest point in Years 5 and 6, however, and there are lessons in Years 1 to 4 when achievement is not as good as it should be, especially for the more capable pupils. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in Years 1 and 2, and good, overall, in Years 3 to 6. The good teaching and learning judgement in Years 3 to 6 is mainly the result of consistently good or better teaching in Years 5 and 6. The subject co-ordinator is an inspirational teacher, who leads by example, and who ensures that pupils of all capabilities do as well as they possibly can. The way that he sets very clear targets for pupils in the mixed Year 5 and 6 class to improve over time, monitors their progress towards meeting the targets in lessons, and challenges them to do their utmost best, is very effective in raising achievement in the school. In one excellent lesson, for example, all pupils did as well as they possibly could when

p.26

Commentary

learning to write a persuasive letter to an editor. They thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the teacher’s expectations of them were so high, and they rose to the challenge very well. Their knowledge and use of grammatical and literary terms are excellent for their age. Other pupils in Years 5 and 6 often benefit from good teaching, and the co- ordinator’s positive influence is a contributory factor.

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Commentary

64. The school is currently making very good use of the particularly strong expertise of the subject co-ordinator by providing opportunities for all the teachers to work towards a more consistent approach towards their teaching. There is some way to go towards achieving this goal, however, and teaching quality is variable across the school. Some lessons in Years 1 to 4 lack a sense of urgency and clarity about pupils’ targets for improvement and how lessons will help to meet them. Many pupils know little themselves about what they need to do to improve over time, and the quality of marking of work varies considerably between classes. Nevertheless, pupils in Years 1 and 2 make a good start with learning to read, and they perform well in national reading tests and assessments. Most pupils become good listeners and articulate speakers by the time they leave the school.

p.26

Commentary

65. Improvement since the previous inspection is good, overall. As a consequence of good leadership and management, the school has made very good progress with extending the range of pupils’ writing across other subjects of the curriculum and raising standards. Pupils now write in many different styles and subjects, and Year 2 national writing assessments are likely to improve this year – following disappointing results in 2004. Handwriting and presentation remain weaker aspects of pupils’ work, and not all teachers set high enough expectations of their pupils to do better. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 27 Language and literacy across the curriculum

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Commentary

66. Provision is good, and it is very good in Years 5 and 6. Teachers give a lot of thought to planning pupils’ work to ensure that they have opportunities to practise and improve their skills across all the subjects. When pupils study history, for example, teachers seek out the best tasks to enable pupils to extend the range of their writing. The tasks are always purposeful and helpful in raising achievement in both history and English, and often also in ICT. This makes the most effective use of teaching and learning time, including improving pupils’ listening speaking and reading skills. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 28

p.27

MATHEMATICS

• Standards are above average in Year 2 and well above average in Year 6. • Pupils achieve well in their final two years at school because teaching is at its best in Years 5 and 6. • Teaching assistants provide good support to pupils of all abilities. • The subject is led very well.

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Commentary

67. This inspection has shown that standards in all aspects of mathematics are above average in Year 2 and well above average in Year 6. Pupils currently in Year 2 were assessed as above average when they entered Year 1; they have made satisfactory progress since that time. Lesson observations and analysis of pupils’ work show most pupils achieve satisfactorily during the time spent in Years 1 and 2. The school has improved the percentage of pupils attaining higher standards in Year 2; this is an improvement on the 2004 results for seven year olds.

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Commentary

68. In 2004 standards at age 11 were much higher than in recent years. This inspection has found that this year pupils in Year 6 are also attaining high standards, achieving well and making good progress. There are clear reasons for this. Teachers of pupils in the three classes covering Years 5 and 6 have high expectations of the standards that pupils should reach. They hold pupils’ attention well by teaching mathematics skills and concepts in a lively and meaningful way, some using interactive classroom boards very effectively. Pupils respond very well to this teaching; most want to learn and consequently make much progress during their final two years in school. They have been encouraged to follow mathematical investigations using their numeracy skills in problem-solving approaches. Teaching assistants provide focused support to pupils across the full range of attainment. In addition, the co-ordinator provides very good

p.28

Commentary

leadership, has monitored provision rigorously and worked with colleagues to promote high standards; the main impact of this seen so far is in the progress of older pupils. Taken together these actions have resulted in good improvement since the previous inspection.

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Commentary

69. Pupils make steady progress between Years 1 and 4. This rate of improvement picks up sharply through the teaching in the three classes covering Years 5 and 6. By Year 6 most pupils have produced a substantial amount of work and can confidently multiply and divide numbers, calculate area, measure angles and work out times from timetables. More able pupils measure angles such as 235 degrees precisely; they confidently cope with negative numbers and interpret data accurately. Their work shows that these teachers are very successful in preparing activities within a given theme that challenge pupils of different levels of attainment appropriately; this helps ensure these older pupils make very good progress.

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Commentary

70. There was no unsatisfactory teaching in this inspection and in those lessons where it was satisfactory overall there were nevertheless elements of good teaching. For example in a Year 2 lesson, pupils were keen to work out differences between numbers because the mental activity was delivered through a team game approach using the interactive electronic board. In a very good, challenging lesson for pupils in a class covering Years 5 and 6, the very confident Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 29 teacher taught the pupils the importance of being able to plot locations accurately by getting them to imagine they were dealing with an emergency where a holiday centre was about to subside into the sea. This was a highly effective lesson in terms of advancing pupils’ understanding of quadrants and the reason for accuracy when plotting position.

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Commentary

71. In the previous inspection report inspectors noted the good provision being made to support pupils who have special educational needs. Pupils continue to benefit from careful and sensitive support often provided by teaching assistants. A decision to extend this provision to pupils of other abilities, particularly those capable of attaining high standards, has had a beneficial impact on raising standards. It is one of the factors contributing to the dramatic rise in the 2004 results at age 11, the good standards in Year 6 found in this inspection and the improvement in the number of pupils now reaching better standards in Year 2.

p.29

Commentary

72. The co-ordinator provides very good leadership. She has implemented rigorous monitoring practices that have focused attention on raising standards. The valuable information gained through this process is then used to support staff in taking action to raise standards and improve achievement.

p.29

Mathematics across the curriculum

73. There are regular opportunities for pupils to practise their number skills through work in other subjects. In a science lesson pupils learned about the relationship between time to recover from exercise and pulse rate, presenting their results in a bar graph and interpreting the findings. In a lively geography lesson, based on the forthcoming residential visit, pupils applied their mathematics skills to find six-figure grid references for locations of the “pirates’ smuggled gold”.

p.29

SCIENCE

There is satisfactory provision in science.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The focus on investigational activities is improving pupils’ scientific skills. • Pupils are well managed and there are high expectations of their behaviour. • A broad curriculum motivates pupils well. • Inconsistent approaches to planning in the two Year 2 classes means pupils do different work.

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Commentary

74. In the infant classes, standards in science overall are average and this represents satisfactory achievement. Pupils build upon the good provision for practical work and make satisfactory progress. In Years 3 to 6 the overall achievement is good, largely because of the very effective teaching in Years 5 and 6. Inspection evidence indicates that in the current Year 6 most pupils are on target to reach the nationally expected Level 4 or higher. Pupils capable of reaching Level 5 are given sufficient support to achieve it. Support for the lower ability pupils and for those with special educational needs is good. These findings represent an improvement since the last inspection.

p.29

Commentary

75. Teaching is good overall. Lesson planning is good and based on national guidelines. Teachers throughout the school prepare and resource their lessons well, and ensure that pupils understand material already covered and are clear about new information. All teachers ensure there are sufficient opportunities for pupils to respond verbally to Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 30 their questions at length. The use of paired discussion enables pupils to exchange ideas and begin to solve problems. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and pupils work together and co-operate well during lessons. They handle resources and equipment with care, tidying up independently when an investigation is completed. Teachers effectively demonstrate the ways of recording and this supports the development of literacy within science lessons.

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Commentary

76. The full curriculum is taught well in a two-year cycle and there are often good links with other subjects. The clear provision for experimental and investigation work and precise teaching of these skills benefit all pupils in school. The curriculum is broad and balanced and a particularly good aspect of science work has been the educational visits which enhance pupils’ knowledge and understanding. For example, visits to Magna, Eureka and Butterfly World and visitors who brought a planetarium and woodland creatures all provide pupils with experience of relevant real-life scientific processes. Pupils develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of life processes, materials and their properties, and physical processes progressively as they move from Year 3 to Year 6. Pupils throughout the school are encouraged to record their work in a variety of ways, including graphs, charts, diagrams and photographs. This

p.30

Commentary

enables those with less well-developed literacy skills to record what they know and have found out. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to record at length in writing. ICT is used effectively to make graphical representations and for personal research, by using the Internet, carrying out virtual experiments using the interactive whiteboard and using sensor technology to identify changes in sound, temperature and light.

p.30

Commentary

77. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory but have shortcomings, mainly because there is no monitoring of standards or of the quality of education by the subject leader and no action plan to show how this will be done. For example, pupils in two Year 2 classes do not do the same work and the equality of access is compromised. In Years 1 and 2, pupils are not always encouraged to make predictions. These issues have been missed because pupils’ work is not scrutinised to assess that all that should be done is being done and that the work produced is of the best quality.

p.30

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

• Standards are above average in Year 6. • Pupils achieve well in upper junior classes. • Teaching is good in Year 6. • The leadership of ICT is good.

p.30

Commentary

78. Standards are broadly in line with what is expected for seven year olds. Since the previous inspection pupils’ attainment has improved by Year 6 and it is now above average. By age seven most pupils are reaching the expected standard in their awareness that there are many sources of information including books, photographs, signs and symbols. Pupils make good progress, especially in the lessons provided Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 31 during their final two years at school and use a range of ICT skills that they have successfully acquired with increasing confidence.

p.30

Commentary

79. When a small group of Year 6 pupils accessed their personal files of completed work stored on the school network they were proud to show extensive coverage of the curriculum for ICT and good links with other subjects. For example, they have written and illustrated poetry by inserting images and produced a multi-media presentation. They have written a report of an event, illustrated mathematical data by producing pie charts and used graphics software to paint in the style of the artist Andy Warhol.

p.31

Commentary

80. Discussion with these pupils confirmed that they had acquired a good ICT vocabulary and could use terms such as text box and hyperlink correctly. Pupils confidently discussed how they had been taught to use Internet search engines safely and they knew the purpose of an e-mail address. Some higher attaining pupils knew that an mp3 player could store downloaded music files. A portfolio of evidence shows that pupils have also learned to construct simple spreadsheet formulae and interrogated motoring websites to meet the challenge to find a specific make of new car for their teacher within a fixed price range!

p.31

Commentary

81. Two lessons were observed during the inspection. The evidence from these together with that secured from analysis of pupils’ work indicates that teaching is satisfactory at Key Stage 1 but good in Year 6. In a very successful lesson, Year 6 pupils worked in pairs to design three web pages that they then connected by inserting hyperlinks. The teacher, who confidently taught these skills, used the interactive board effectively to explain the process. Pupils followed the teacher’s input carefully, concentrating on the sequence of actions they would take including using ‘drop down’ menu commands. The teacher maintained the pupils’ interest because the content built well on their previous learning. This approach was repeated when, at the end of the lesson, the teacher provided a snapshot of the next lesson, to produce a navigation bar for their web pages. The lesson concluded with the viewing of a pupils’ multi-media

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Commentary

presentation constructed during the ICT club that featured the arrival on earth of an alien. The teacher used this as a good opportunity to remind pupils about the time when they used light and temperature sensors to find locations around the school that would provide a warm dark home for the alien!

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Commentary

82. The co-ordinator provides good leadership and has successfully led staff training sessions and taught in a team approach with other teachers. He has analysed pupils’ work and judged it against the levels expected for their age and drawn up a realistic ICT action plan to build on the progress already made.

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Commentary

83. With improved teacher confidence, better resources and the positive impact of an enthusiastic co-ordinator, there has been good improvement in the overall provision since the time of the previous inspection.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

84. Teachers provide pupils with regular opportunities to practise their ICT skills in other subjects. Year 4 pupils writing about the Vikings used word-processing techniques such as creating sub-headings to improve the presentation of their work. Pupils in Year 6 develop their creative skills when they enhanced their poetry writing by using art software to add illustrations. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 32

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HUMANITIES

None of these subjects were the focus for the inspection and religious education was inspected in a separate inspection.

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HUMANITIES

85. Owing to inspection priorities, there was too little evidence to make overall judgements in geography . Only one lesson was seen, and the small amount of pupils’ previous work available was scrutinised. A discussion with Year 6 pupils took place. The co- ordinator has only recently been given responsibility for overseeing the work of the school, and geography has a fairly low priority on the school development plan.

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HUMANITIES

86. The school has organised a two-year cycle of topics to cover the National Curriculum, indicating that pupils have opportunities to attain standards that are in line with national expectations by Years 2 and 6. At the time of the inspection, however, the subject was not being taught in most classes. Much of the work undertaken links with residential educational visits in Years 5 and 6 to Derwentwater and Boggle Hole. Whilst this practice provides a lot of good practical and meaningful geographical experiences for the pupils, the small number of pupils who do not participate miss very important aspects of the work; this is likely to impact upon their achievement.

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HUMANITIES

87. In the one good lesson seen in Year 6, pupils found places on maps by using six-figure grid references. They used geographical vocabulary, showing an understanding of locations in Britain that are unlike Ossett. In a discussion with pupils, they were very enthusiastic when talking about previous work, for example when they studied life on the island of St Lucia. They remembered a lot, and used geographical terminology correctly when explaining their ideas about climate, transport and lifestyles. They recalled too, a previous topic on the water cycle, and were able to make links with their work in history about how the River Nile impacted on the lives of Ancient Egyptians. Pupils demonstrated an understanding of how to use the Internet as a source of geographical evidence and learning.

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HUMANITIES

88. Little evidence was able to be collected because of the priorities of the inspection and it is not possible to make overall judgements in history . Only one lesson was seen, but there was a good amount of pupils’ previous work on display or in the school’s portfolio. The two-year cycle of topics suggests that pupils have opportunities to attain standards that are at least in line with national expectations by Years 2 and 6. Limited evidence indicates that the school is likely to have maintained the high standards found at the previous inspection and pupils’ achievement is good.

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HUMANITIES

89. Much of pupils’ work throughout the school is planned carefully by teachers to link with educational visits to museums and places of interest, such as Eden Camp, Clarke Hall and places within the locality. Visitors to the school make the subject ‘come alive’ for the pupils, and regular ‘Theme Days’ provide a lot of interest and excitement in learning. Teachers are good at making full use of work in history to extend pupils’ learning in other subjects. Year 2 pupils, for example, write to compare their own lives with the lives of people in Victorian times, and Year 3 and 4 pupils write with empathy about the life of a Roman soldier. In the one lesson seen, which was satisfactory, Year 4 pupils improved their ability to find out more about Britain in the distant past by looking at archaeological and pictorial evidence. Teaching is particularly innovative and exciting in Years 5 and 6. As part of a study of the Tudors, pupils debated ‘To execute

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HUMANITIES

or not to execute’, and they recorded their ideas by writing in the style of a newspaper reporter. Work in history makes a very strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, social and Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 33 cultural development. It has also been a vehicle for raising achievement across the school in writing. History has a fairly low priority on the school development plan.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

93. Owing to inspection priorities and school timetabling, too little evidence was collected to make overall judgements in art and design , design and technology , music and physical education . Very few lessons were seen. Pupils’ portfolios of previous work and work currently on display were scrutinised.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

94. In art and design , pupils in all year groups have good opportunities to work with a comprehensive range of art materials. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, evidence suggests that standards are above expectations. This indicates that pupils achieve well. Pupils’ artwork is informed by the frequent studies of famous artists, enabling them to learn some of the techniques used and to effectively incorporate these in their own work. For example, pupils in Years 1 and 2 focused on the pastel colours of Monet using paint and pastel crayons and also created wallpaper designs in the style of William Morris. In Years 3 and 4 pupils observed closely the work of Picasso and in Year 6 pupils examined the artist’s work before painting industrial scenes in the style of L.S. Lowry. This is successful, and many pupils produce work of high quality. It is evident that teachers build up skills, knowledge and understanding in a consistent way.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

95. There is a good variety of artwork undertaken and ICT is used very effectively to produce artwork of a high standard. Artwork is used effectively to support work in other subjects when, for example pupils painted animals in their study of Yanomani Indians and in Years 3 and 4 used mixed media to show texture, colour and an abstract design when studying their topic of rocks and soil.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

96. The art curriculum is enriched by the use of visiting specialists, for example ceramicists and a rug maker who help pupils to work co-operatively and produce work on a larger scale.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

97. The quality of display is impressive, giving real value and esteem to pupils’ artwork whilst also creating a vibrant working environment. It is obvious from the quality and finish of displayed work that teachers have high expectations of pupils’ standards of presentation, and that pupils persevere for long periods of time to achieve this finish.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

98. Only one design and technology lesson was observed during this inspection so it has not been possible to make secure judgments of teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement. Photographic evidence of past work and school displays show pupils are making products where the quality meets the standards typically expected for their age.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

99. By Year 2 pupils can discuss the features of products such as a car. They name parts such as the body and wheels. Some pupils are capable of using more specialist terms such as chassis. Pupils learn how to make structures by joining components, some with moving parts. They made a winding mechanism, a picture that incorporated a moving feature and figures with moving arms and legs. Pupils have learned how to draw up a design brief that records their choices of materials and the tools they intend to use. Some pupils reflect on the finished product and write down their ideas of how it might be improved. Photographs of pupils making these products confirm they enjoy these practical tasks. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 34 100. By Year 6 pupils can design and make picture frames and containers within the theme of packaging. Pupils have applied their design skills to food technology by planning

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

and baking biscuits that feature a picture of Holy Trinity Church. In a project based on a toy theme pupil used all elements of the design and technology process from first ideas to detailed evaluation satisfactorily. Photographs show how pupils’ involvement in these activities helps promote their social development and encourages team- building skills.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

101. In music , only one formal lesson was seen but the choir and whole school were heard to sing at various times. Singing is tuneful and expressive. Clearly pupils throughout the school enjoy making music. The programme of work ensures that all pupils cover the full National Curriculum in a way that builds step by step upon what they already know, understand and can do. Songs from South Africa and Brazil were sung with enthusiasm and help to enhance multi-cultural understanding. The school involves teachers from Wakefield’s Music Service to broaden the provision. For example, a very positive input by way of a percussion workshop provided an opportunity for pupils to play plastic dustbins! Lessons are enhanced by instrumental teaching of woodwind, brass and violin. Concerts and performances contribute well to pupils’ overall musical experience.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

102. In physical education no lessons were observed during this inspection and consequently judgements are not made for standards, teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement. However, a portfolio of photographs of pupils taking part in various aspects of physical education indicates they are provided with an appropriate range of learning opportunities. These are enhanced by a good variety of extra-curricular clubs and sporting events.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

103. By Year 2 pupils improve their games skills such as throwing and catching through warm-up activities. They develop body movement co-ordination by balancing, curling and stretching. By Year 3 pupils are learning how to develop thematic dance sequences. Photographs depict pupils producing a dance sequence based on the movements that represented the four seasons.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

104. In Year 6 pupils have opportunity to work with specialist coaches who train them in gymnastics and games. They use these skills well in regular competitive sport with other schools. Swimming provision is provided for junior pupils. Checks made on the progress in swimming of pupils currently in Year 6 showed that 95 per cent had attained the national 25 metres standard. In addition, 20 per cent of pupils have been awarded certificates for longer distance and life saving.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

105. Owing to inspection priorities, no overall judgements were made about teaching, learning and standards, but evidence indicates that provision is very good. Many opportunities for achieving high standards thread through the life and work of the school, rather than through formal lessons alone. The school council, for example, helps pupils to learn how to play a helpful part as members of the school community. Pupils wrote thoughtful manifestos to persuade other pupils to vote for them, and they have been instrumental in making several sensible changes to their school lives. The school meets statutory requirements in respect of its provision for sex and relationships education, and there are good procedures for educating pupils about drugs. Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 35 Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School - 36

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities (ethos) 2 Attendance 2 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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