Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School

104378 Unique Reference Number Wolverhampton LEA 277144 Inspection number 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 Inspection dates Ian Knight AI Reporting inspector

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

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Fraser Street School address Primary Type of school Bilston Voluntary aided School category West Midlands WV14 7PD 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01902 558977 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01902 558978 Fax number 246 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Carroll McNally Headteacher 14 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277144 20 February 2006 - 3 to 11 21 February 2006 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Bilston, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school serving an area of considerable socio-economic disadvantage in Bilston. Most pupils are White British, with about a tenth who are Indian and small numbers of Caribbean or mixed heritage. The number of pupils who have English as an additional language is a little above average. The number of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is about average.

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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 Catholic Primary School, Bilston, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspectors and the school agree that this is a good school giving good value for money. Pupils really enjoy coming to school and achieve well in a very supportive environment which stems from its Catholic ethos. Children enter the school with well below average attainment and with especially weak social and communication skills. Good provision in Nursery and Reception is closely geared to their needs and they make good progress. At the end of the Reception Year, standards are broadly average. During Key Stage 1, pupils make satisfactory progress. In Key Stage 2, the rate of learning moves up a gear again and pupils make good progress. As a result, pupils in Year 6 are currently working beyond national expectations for their age. Good provision is made for pupils with learning difficulties and those who have English as an additional language. Teaching is good overall, and satisfactory in Key Stage 1. Teachers throughout the

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Grade: 2

school generally use questioning well to extend and reinforce pupils’ understanding. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to work truly independently or in groups. Leadership and management are good. The school analyses its work thoroughly, using its well-established and good systems for self-evaluation. Appropriate actions have been identified and undertaken, so that standards are improving. This improvement, together with the progress made since the previous inspection, shows that the school has a good capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Use the outcomes of the school’s monitoring to share good practice and lift the quality of teaching in Key Stage 1 to the same standard as the rest of the school. • Provide more opportunities for pupils to learn independently and in small groups.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well overall. Children’s knowledge and skills when they join the Nursery are significantly below average, especially in their communication and social skills. They make good progress in Nursery and Reception and their standards are broadly average as they enter Year 1. Throughout Years 1 to 6, pupils are set challenging targets. During Key Stage 1, pupils make satisfactory progress and standards are average by the end of Year 2. Standards in the current Year 6 are above national expectations and progress in Key Stage 2 is now good, as shown by the school’s assessment data and the evidence of the pupils’ work seen during the inspection. This is a better picture than that suggested by the 2005 National Curriculum tests. In a hymn practice, the quality of pupils’ singing in all years was excellent. Pupils with learning difficulties, with particular gifts or talents, and those who have English as an

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Grade: 2

additional language are identified and supported well. As a result, all groups of pupils progress equally well. 2 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Bilston, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. The friendly atmosphere helps pupils to feel valued and successfully supports their emotional development. Pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to all aspects of school life are excellent. They say that pupils from different racial groups work well together, and inspectors agree. Through the School Council, pupils learn about citizenship and make a positive contribution to school life. Extensive charitable links, for example funding forty goats for ‘Farm Africa’, are part of the good contribution pupils make to the wider community. Pupils understand the need to live healthily. They participate well in the many healthy pursuits provided at lunchtimes and after school. They gain a clear understanding of safe practices through, for example, training provided by such organisations as ‘Young Fire Officers’. However, they do not have enough opportunities to learn for themselves independently or to

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Grade: 2

develop teamwork in group activities. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They speak enthusiastically about the fairness and consideration shown by adults and other youngsters. Pupils benefit from the very good opportunities to appreciate Catholic traditions, which are complemented by visits to local Temples, Mosques, Synagogues and Gurdwaras and visitors to school who have run events such as an Asian dance club and Diwali assemblies.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall, promoting good progress in the Nursery, Reception year and Key Stage 2, and it is satisfactory in Key Stage 1. Adults in the Nursery and Reception classes nurture the children in their care. They plan a variety of activities to build children’s confidence and to compensate for the weak social and personal skills they have on entry to the school. Children are enthused by teaching that develops basic skills well. For example, a boy shouted, ‘I’ve found it!’ and excitedly jabbed the page with his finger when looking for the letter combination ‘sh’ in a book. When teaching is good, teachers maintain pupils’ attention through their own enthusiasm. They really care about the pupils, and pupils respond to this by cooperating fully and working hard. Teachers generally use questioning skilfully, asking follow-up questions to make pupils think about their learning, thus reinforcing understanding. The good teaching

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Grade: 2

of basic skills forms the foundations for pupils’ future economic well-being. In an outstanding lesson, pupils were able discuss their work in pairs and small groups to explore and deepen their understanding. Where teaching is satisfactory rather than good, questions encourage simple answers and answers are not explored enough. As a result, learning moves on at a slower pace, particularly in Key Stage 1, than in the good lessons seen elsewhere in the school. In a number of lessons throughout the school, teachers direct pupils too much, so that they are passive and do not gain the skills of independent learning well enough. 3 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Bilston, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets the needs of all pupils well. There is good provision for literacy, information and communication technology and mathematics across the curriculum as well as in specific lessons in these subjects. Many pupils enjoy and benefit from the good range of extra activities, including dance, drama, craft, and many sports activities and fixtures. However, there is no provision for pupils to learn to play musical instruments, and this holds back the development of pupils who might become talented musicians. The wide range of activities helps pupils to be active and healthy, develop an interest in the arts and build self-confidence. The school has good links with the local community that enrich the learning opportunities. Visitors from the ‘Bilston Blitz’ group, for example, have helped pupils to appreciate what happened locally in the war. There are very good links with Holy Trinity Parish Church that develop pupils

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Grade: 2

spiritually. Well-planned educational visits to museums and environmental and residential centres bring learning alive in subjects such as history and science.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of its pupils. It is committed to promoting their health, safety and well-being and consistently seeks to improve procedures to monitor their progress. Pupils say they feel safe and well supported in dealing with their personal problems. There are good child protection and risk assessment procedures. Good provision for pupils with learning difficulties, support for pupils with English as an additional language, and provision for the needs of the more capable pupils help the school to meet everyone’s needs. However, opportunities are sometimes missed in Key Stage 1 to provide specific support that helps pupils to improve and this means that they do not progress as well in the rest of the school. Good liaison with parents and a range of external agencies ensures that pupils needing specific support are well cared for.

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Grade: 2

The school is led and managed well. A clear vision for the school, firmly rooted in Catholic principles, is shared by all who work there. The school’s nine core values that flow from its mission statement and aims are evident in all aspects of school life, resulting in a good team approach to pupils’ education and care. The school has thorough processes by which it evaluates its work. Pupils and groups are set challenging targets and their progress towards them is rigorously tracked. Teaching is checked and improved using thorough observations that clearly identify strengths and areas to be improved. This process has been instrumental in identifying areas for improvement and in improving standards and progress, as is evident in the better standards in Year 6 now, compared with the 2005 results. This is clear evidence that the school has a good capacity for further improvement. Frequent questionnaires sent to parents ensure

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Bilston, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 that parents’ views are sought and used. Pupils are consulted through the school council. The school improvement plan, which takes account of parents’ and pupils’ opinions, is thorough and detailed although some targets lack explicit criteria by which to judge their impact. The governing body has a good knowledge of the school although not all members can visit the school as often as they would wish. It effectively holds the school to account but it is not as yet involved in the initial drafting and prioritising of the school improvement plan. It is, however, involved in monitoring its progress. 5 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School, Bilston, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006 .

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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 Catholic Primary School, Bilston, 20 February 2006 to 21 February 2006

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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 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 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 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 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 Yes 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

Dear Pupils Thank you for being so friendly and helpful when we visited your school. We really enjoyed talking with you and watching how well you work. We learned lots about your school, and I am writing now to tell you about that. We agree with you that your school is good. • You behave very well in school because the staff really care about you and look after you well. You told us how much you enjoy school and we could see that in your lessons. • Most teachers make you think hard when they talk to you and ask questions, which helps you learn and understand new things. • The headteacher really knows the school well and all the adults work together well to make sure you all learn as well as you can. We have suggested some things the school could do to be even better. In some lessons, you don’t get enough chances to find things out for yourself or talk about your work with each other. We think that would help you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to learn even better, so we’ve asked the school to try to do that more often in your lessons. We’ve also asked the school to make sure that all the teachers share their good ideas, for example when they ask you questions in a way that makes you really think hard, so that all the lessons can be as good as the best ones that we saw. You can help by carrying on trying as hard as you can in school. Thank you again for making our visit so pleasant. Yours sincerely Ian Knight Lead Inspector Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www. ofsted. gov. uk

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