Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Sunningdale

Inspection Report Holy Trinity CofE Primary School

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110018 Unique Reference Number Windsor and Maidenhead LEA LEA 278346 Inspection number 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 Inspection dates Philip Mann AI Reporting inspector

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

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Church Road School address Primary Type of school Sunningdale Voluntary aided School category SL5 0NJ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01344 620716 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01344 873572 Fax number 205 Number on roll Mr Richard Pelly Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Sarah Thorpe Headteacher 28 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278346 29 June 2006 - 4 to 11 30 June 2006 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is voluntary aided, serves the parish of Sunningdale and is about average in size. Most pupils come from advantaged homes. Fewer pupils than usual have learning difficulties and disabilities. Attainment on entry into the school is above average. The ethnic background of the vast majority of pupils is White-British.

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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, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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Grade: 3

The school judges itself to be satisfactory with some good features. Inspectors agree with this view but recognise that it is embarking on a period of change and improvement and judge that a number of strengths are beginning to emerge. The newly appointed headteacher is providing effective leadership. Expectations have been raised and standards are now much higher again for the oldest pupils where they are above average in English, mathematics, and science. The personal development and well-being of pupils is good overall. However, teachers provide too few opportunities for older pupils to take responsibility for their own learning. Consequently some of these pupils are too passive in class, lose concentration and do not reach their full potential. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. It is consistently good for pupils in the lower half of the school and these pupils achieve well. However, although satisfactory

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Grade: 3

overall, it is more inconsistent for the older pupils which results in slower rates of progress. The provision in the Foundation Stage is well led and managed. The quality of teaching is consistently good for these children leading to good achievement in all areas of learning. Overall, the school provides satisfactory levels of care and support for pupils and procedures for child protection are robust. Staff know their pupils well but not all teachers use assessment data carefully to monitor the progress of pupils or plan effectively for future learning. Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. Overall, self-evaluation is effective but currently some subject leaders and governors play a limited role in this process. However, the new head teacher has implemented some good procedures to review the work of the school and to identify appropriate priorities for improvement. Effective action this year has already led to improvements in pupils' standards and

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Grade: 3

demonstrates good capacity for further improvement. Taking all factors into account, the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that teaching is of consistently good quality for all pupils in Key Stage 2. • Provide more opportunities for individual pupils to take responsibility for their own learning particularly for those in the upper half of Key Stage 2. • Use assessment data more effectively to plan for the needs of all pupils. • Governors and subject leaders should play a more effective role in self-review.

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Grade: 3

The achievement of all pupils, including those with learning difficulties, is satisfactory overall. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress with many leaving the reception class with attainment that is above that normally expected in all areas of learning. In the lower half of the school pupils achieve well. Older pupils make satisfactory progress reaching above average standards for 11 year-olds in English, 2 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 mathematics and science. Pupils have achieved the targets set for them with about a half of these pupils attaining the higher Level 5 in the national tests, but not all reach their full potential. Nevertheless, the downward trend in English has now been reversed. Furthermore, a greater emphasis this year has been placed on investigation and problem solving in mathematics. This has resulted in much higher standards with nearly all

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Grade: 3

pupils in Year 6 gaining the expected level and a half of them achieving the higher Level 5. The change in school leadership has placed a strong emphasis on the development of pupils' writing with some notable success. Pupils are now becoming more confident writers and clearly gain much pride in their achievements with some outstanding results. For instance, one pupil in Year 6 wrote these meaningful lines in a poem about her last break time before leaving the school. 'I lower my head, Preferring not to lookAt the hoards of yelling children, The tarmac ringing with the sounds of tiny feet.'

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of pupils is good overall. Pupils enjoy being at school and attendance rates are high. Pupils respond well to good provision for their moral, social and cultural development. Pupils express their appreciation for the new 'Golden Rules' and associated rewards structure initiated this year. As a result, behaviour is good and relationships are positive around the school. Pupils are polite and friendly towards visitors and enjoy opportunities to talk about their work. Even though opportunities to promote pupils' spiritual development are only satisfactory, pupils respond very well to activities that engage them in their learning. However, older pupils have too few of these opportunities in lessons, resulting in some losing concentration. As a result, achievement is not as good as it could be for these pupils. In contrast, all pupils are responding well to the school's active promotion of a healthy

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Grade: 2

lifestyle. They confirm that there has been very little bullying since the promotion of the school's anti bullying policy. They value the opportunity to contribute to school improvement through surveys and class suggestion boxes. The school council is providing pupils with good opportunities to develop their citizenship skills and make a positive contribution to their community.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Teaching for children in the Foundation Stage and the lower half of the school is consistently good. In the upper years it is less consistent and satisfactory. There has been recent good improvement to the teaching of writing across the school. 3 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 In the Foundation Stage, teaching provides interesting activities that thoroughly cover all of the areas of learning. Throughout the school, the best teaching makes use of highly effective questioning skills to clarify and consolidate pupils' previous learning and challenge their understanding of new ideas. Teachers make clear what is to be learned and explain tasks clearly. However, there are insufficient opportunities for the older pupils to be actively involved in planning and assessing their own learning resulting is some not reaching their full potential.

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Grade: 3

The school assesses and records pupils' progress but procedures are not sufficiently rigorous and not implemented consistently across all classes. Consequently, work does not always challenge the more able because assessment is not used rigorously enough in the upper part of the school. However, marking is good in all classes and provides pointers for improvements that are followed through by pupils.

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Grade: 3

The school judges the curriculum to be satisfactory and inspectors agree. It is broad and generally balanced but planning in Key Stage 2 does not fully cater for the effective progression of skills in the foundation subjects. However, in order to improve further, the school is revising the curriculum to promote greater creativity and enjoyment. This is already having an impact. For example, older pupils spoke highly of the recent residential visit to the Isle of Wight which contributed much to their personal development and understanding of information and communication technology (ICT). In Years 1 to 6, there has been an increased emphasis on developing writing skills by linking work in English to that in other subjects. However, the school has now prioritised the improvement of the existing satisfactory provision in ICT in order to raise standards even further to match those achieved in literacy, numeracy and science.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is good. There is a good range of interesting activities and creative experiences. These are carefully linked together so that children learn to share and cooperate and make good gains in communication in language and numeracy skills. The range of extra curricular activities is good and includes sports, a breakfast club, after school clubs that includes the teaching of French. These additional activities have had a positive impact on pupils' confidence and self esteem and contribute greatly to their increased enjoyment of school and good personal development.

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Grade: 3

The school makes satisfactory provision for pupils' care, guidance and support and works hard at maintaining a positive relationship with parents. Feedback from pupils and the vast majority of parents supports the view that the school takes the pupils' welfare seriously. Staff know their pupils well and endeavour to provide a safe and secure environment where pupils are free from harassment and bullying. 4 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 There are good procedures for child protection and there are appropriate checks when appointing new staff. Liaison with outside agencies helps to keep the staff up-to-date on health and safety matters. Staff assess the pupils' academic and social progress but procedures are not consistently applied across all classes. For instance, some teachers do not make sufficient use of the information when planning lessons and

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Grade: 3

provide too few opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for planning and assessing their own learning.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The newly appointed headteacher is effectively steering staff and governors through a period of change and school improvement. She provides very clear direction for the school's work and is setting high expectations for both staff and pupils. A good atmosphere for learning exists where the efforts of all are valued. Furthermore, areas of weakness have been effectively identified and improvements are already being reflected in pupils' achievements. For example, standards across the school in writing and mathematics have improved significantly as a result of carefully planned training for staff, with greater attention to detail and quality of work. Whole school self-evaluation and review is developing well. Robust procedures have been implemented to monitor the quality of teaching and learning across the school. This has led to the effective identification of well-chosen priorities for further school

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Grade: 3

improvement. Although satisfactory overall, the roles of some subject leaders are still underdeveloped because they do not have a thorough understanding of standards within their subjects. However, the leadership and management of English and the Foundation Stage are good. Teamwork is now being strengthened and many staff are embracing the new initiatives. As a result, the capacity for further improvement is now good. The governing body is supportive of the school's work but its monitoring role is underdeveloped. Since the previous inspection it has endeavoured to minimise the level of risk posed to pupils by traffic outside the school gates with some success. The governing body has begun to gather feedback on its work through occasional surveys. However, some parents feel that their views are not always listened to, resulting in some misunderstanding and conflict. 5 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 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 CofE Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 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 3 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 2 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 3 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

Pupils Mr Earish and I enjoyed visiting your school and we would like to thank you for making us feel so welcome. It is very clear that you enjoy being at school, behave well and in particular like taking part in the many interesting activities planned for you. We were particularly impressed with the quality of your writing and artwork. Many of your teachers work hard to make their lessons interesting and fun for you and generally you respond well to this. However, for some of the older pupils there are some lessons which are not as interesting. Also there are too few opportunities for you to become fully involved in planning and assessing your own work. This is something that the senior staff and teachers are going to work at. While at the school I also found that;* staff in the Foundation Stage are providing good opportunities for young children to learn;* your headteacher provides good leadership for the school;

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I also found that;* not all teachers use information about your progress to effectively match new work to your individual needs;* the senior staff and governors need to be more thorough in checking how well the school is doing so they can make further improvements;Finally, although the school currently provides you with a satisfactory education there are already a number of good things starting to happen. I would like to thank you again and wish you all the very best. Phil Mann Lead inspector AI

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