Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

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103986 Unique Reference Number Sandwell LEA 277042 Inspection number 14 September 2005 to 15 September 2005 Inspection dates Rob Hubbleday HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Trinity Road South School address Primary Type of school West Bromwich Voluntary controlled School category West Midlands B70 6NF 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0121 5531573 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 5531573 Fax number 359 Number on roll Mr C Lucock Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Helen Gilbert Headteacher 8 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277042 14 September 2005 - 3 to 11 15 September 2005 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI)

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Description of the school

Holy Trinity serves a disadvantaged area in the centre of West Bromwich. Most of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups, with nearly half having Indian backgrounds. In addition, there are much smaller and broadly equal numbers drawn from White-British, Pakistani, and Black-British heritages. The school has an above average number of pupils with learning difficulties and pupils who speak English as an additional language. Attainment on entry to the school is generally low. Five teachers left the school in the year before the inspection, including the deputy headteacher and the mathematics co-ordinator. Three of the replacement teachers were newly qualified.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 14 September 2005 to 15 September 2005

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Grade: 3

The school judges itself to be satisfactory overall and the inspection team agrees. In reaching this judgement, the inspectors recognise that the school has important strengths as well as several areas needing improvement. The school is very welcoming and the pupils are well cared for. From the moment they join the Nursery, a high priority is given to developing the pupils’ personal and social skills. By the time the pupils leave the Reception Year, they have made good progress in these aspects but are still well behind in other areas despite broadly satisfactory teaching. This pattern of achievement continues through the rest of the school, with the pupils making satisfactory progress overall from their low starting points. The quality of teaching and learning in different year groups varies from good to unsatisfactory and is satisfactory overall. The teachers have a lot of information about their pupils’ results

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Grade: 3

in yearly tests but have too little knowledge about the pupils’ progress in lessons. The leadership team is committed to the school’s development but is aware that in some areas it has not taken sufficiently effective action to bring about improvement. Standards in English and levels of attendance are much higher than a few years ago but standards in mathematics and science have not risen sufficiently. Recently, the leadership team has begun to clarify how best to tackle continuing weaknesses but its expectations of the pupils’ attainment and the teachers’ performance are not clear enough. The school provides satisfactory value for money. It has shown it has the capacity to improve by raising standards in some areas and accurately identifying further priorities.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards further, especially in mathematics and science, by: • improving the quality and consistency of teaching • using assessment information more effectively to challenge all groups of pupils in lessons • establishing a more rigorous approach to monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance.

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Grade: 3

Most of the pupils joining the Nursery make generally good progress to start with, especially in their personal and social development, but from Reception onwards their progress varies between good and unsatisfactory and is satisfactory overall. Few reach the expected goals for five year olds, particularly in literacy and numeracy and many pupils go through the school well behind the standard expected for their ages. As a consequence, overall standards in national tests have remained well below average. The pupils’ results have approached the nationally expected figures only in English at the end of Key Stage 2. The school has exceeded its targets in this subject and many 2 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 14 September 2005 to 15 September 2005 pupils have made good progress, particularly in Years 5 and 6. The same cannot be said of mathematics. The school’s targets were missed by a considerable margin in

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Grade: 3

2005, continuing a pattern of markedly poorer performance in this subject than in English. Similarly, standards in science, despite some improvement in 2005, have not matched those in English. Although standards generally are not high enough, there is little evidence of significant underachievement by any particular groups. Pupils of all abilities make broadly satisfactory progress, as do all ethnic groups.

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Grade: 2

The pupils enjoy coming to school and behave well. They report that they feel safe from bullying. In lessons, almost all of the pupils had a positive attitude to their learning and older pupils in particular understand the consequences if they do not behave well. The pupils have been made aware of the importance of eating healthily but do not always make healthy choices. However, most enjoy physical exercise because of the imaginative opportunities presented by the school. Members of the school council are excellent advocates for their school and have an impressive understanding of the democratic process and high levels of self-confidence which will stand them in good stead in the future. The school is a harmonious community in which the pupils’ different cultures and faiths are valued. The headteacher ensures that the school celebrates the pupils’ cultures in a way which is relevant and sensitive. The outcome of this is that the pupils

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Grade: 2

generally interact positively and respectfully with each other. Carnivals, dance and music clubs and visits to places of worship all contribute positively to the pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. Pupils are given opportunities to contribute to the wider community through fund-raising events. Attendance rose sharply last year to come broadly in line with the national figure. The school took a much more rigorous approach to communicating with parents about the importance of their children attending school every day, and following up every absence very quickly.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory with several good features, which is broadly consistent with the school’s view. The teachers form good relationships with the pupils and discipline is firm but fair. Lessons are well prepared and organised. The teachers’ expectations are generally satisfactory, although more could be expected of the pupils, many of whom are capable of making more rapid progress. There were two instances of unsatisfactory teaching when a lack of focus on what the pupils were expected to learn meant that they made little progress. In contrast, several teachers 3 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 14 September 2005 to 15 September 2005 generated considerable enthusiasm and insight from the pupils through their lively and precise questioning. Assessment information is used to set targets for individuals and groups of pupils, mainly in Years 2 and 6, but this is not a strong feature in other year groups. Generally,

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Grade: 3

the pupils are not involved enough in self-assessment or shown with sufficient precision how to improve their attainment levels. The teachers have information about the progress each pupil is expected to make, but are not held sufficiently accountable for the standards achieved. The school is not certain why the results in English are so much better than in mathematics. However, it has recently joined a programme of intensive support run by the local authority to improve its understanding of how children develop mathematical thinking. Extra help for pupils speaking English as an additional language is effectively provided by a teacher who works alongside the class teachers. In addition, an appropriate number of learning support assistants are generally well deployed to support pupils who have learning difficulties.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is broad and balanced and generally relevant to the pupils’ particular needs. The appointment of a new science co-ordinator last year led to a review of science topics, and more work along these lines is planned. There is a good range of extracurricular activities, such as various sporting groups, chess and computer clubs. The curriculum is enhanced by the many visits to local places of interest. The older pupils enjoy the regular school camping trips, which take place each year in Gloucestershire. To enhance the pupils’ safety, the school provides pedestrian training for the younger pupils and cycling proficiency for the older ones. It also ensures that the pupils are aware of the potential dangers of the Internet.

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Grade: 2

The school is a safe environment. There are few incidents of bullying and the school deals well with any that do occur. The requirements for child protection are fully in place and the staff have received very up-to-date training on this issue. The school arranges various activities to help the pupils to be fit and healthy. The outdoor environment is designed to encourage the pupils to take physical exercise. Most of the pupils attend the lunchtime ‘Huff and Puff’ club, where they learn to co-operate with each other and to play team games. The breakfast club gives those who attend a really good start to the day. They eat a nutritious breakfast, then have the opportunity to play games together in a relaxed and happy atmosphere. The school has been awarded the Healthy Schools Gold Award and has begun working towards the Platinum Award. The school council has discussed the pupils’ views about what is involved and parental workshops exploring healthy eating have been planned.

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 14 September 2005 to 15 September 2005 The headteacher has worked with the school nurse to produce care plans for the pupils who have specific medical needs and there are clear procedures for identifying pupils who have special educational needs. The parents’ views of the school are overwhelmingly positive. They believe that their children are happy at school and that they make good progress.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher and her senior teachers are a cohesive team committed to the school’s development. Individually, they all work hard to monitor their areas of responsibility and are keen to make improvements when they identify weaknesses. The headteacher has played an important role over a long period to build and sustain the school’s good provision for the pupils’ personal development. She has tended to rely heavily on the work of her coordinators to drive up academic standards. This policy has been reasonably successful in bringing about or maintaining improvement in several areas, such as English, the Nursery and the school’s assessment systems. Generally, however, data has not been marshalled in an analytic manner to help the school’s leadership team know what is or is not working well. Recently, the school has devoted greater time to evaluating its performance in a more rigorous manner and has identified urgent priorities, especially improving standards

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Grade: 3

in mathematics. The school’s improvement plan is satisfactory but lacks clear success measures and does not describe how progress will be evaluated. In the past, much of the school’s monitoring has lacked a sharp focus on achieving consistency in the quality of teaching and learning. While good practice has been celebrated, some unsatisfactory teaching has persisted even though the school has provided support where weaknesses have been identified. The governing body is very well organised. Its committees meet regularly and debate pertinent issues with understanding. Under the good leadership of its chair, it has provided effective support for the school’s work but recognises that standards need to rise further. 5 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 14 September 2005 to 15 September 2005 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 14 September 2005 to 15 September 2005

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse NA Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Trinity Road South West Bromwich B70 6NF 24 September 2005 Dear Children Thank you for welcoming us to your school. We enjoyed talking to you and visiting your lessons. We particularly appreciated the help some members of the school council gave us. Their comments and views gave us some really valuable information about what you do at school. You told us that your school is a friendly and welcoming place, and we agree with you. We saw you behaving well and being very polite. You told us that you enjoy your lessons because often the work is related to fun. When we visited your classrooms, we saw you working hard and helping each other to learn. You have plenty of chances to go on visits to interesting places, which helps your learning too. Your school council knows a lot about the school and has many very good ideas about ways to make it better. Lots of you are doing well with your learning, but we think you could do even better, particularly

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

in numeracy and science. We have asked your teachers to tell you more about what you need to do to improve your work. We have also asked your headteacher to talk to your teachers more about how you are getting on in all of your subjects and to make sure that all your lessons are as helpful to you as some of the good ones we saw. Yours sincerely Rob Hubbleday Her Majesty’s Inspector

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