Holy Trinity CofE Infant School

Inspection Report Holy Trinity CofE Infant School

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121598 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire LEA 281054 Inspection number 30 January 2006 to 31 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr Bob Thompson CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Trinity Lane School address Primary Type of school Ripon Voluntary controlled School category North Yorkshire HG4 2AL 3 to 7 Age range of pupils 01765 603911 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01765 601406 Fax number 235 Number on roll Mr K Davill Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Denley Headteacher 28 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281054 30 January 2006 - 3 to 7 31 January 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

This is an average size infant and nursery school for boys and girls aged three to seven. There are 52 children in the nursery, half attending in the morning and half in the afternoon. Children come from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. A high proportion of pupils join and leave the school at other than the usual times. The proportions of pupils entitled to free school meals and children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are low. Attainment on entry is broadly in line with expectations for pupils of that age. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.

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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 Infant School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features, a judgement which matches the school's own view. The leadership and management of the school are good; the headteacher's leadership is inspirational. High quality provision in the Foundation Stage ensures good standards and achievement as children move into the main school, although not enough use is made of the outside areas for learning. Standards and achievement by the end of Year 2 are good. However, the school strives for higher standards and in its endeavour to do even better it has been identified that more girls could reach the highest levels of mathematics, and more boys could reach the highest levels of writing. The provision for the care, guidance and support of pupils is outstanding and pupils' personal development is good. Parents have a high regard for the school and the education provided, as typified by a comment on a parental questionnaire - 'an excellent school, inclusive and welcoming at all times.' Governance

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Grade: 2

is good and the skills of the governors are used to challenge and support the school well. The school has improved well since the last inspection and has good capacity to improve further. It provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop the opportunities for learning in the outside areas in the Foundation Stage. • Raise the number of girls achieving the highest levels in mathematics and the number of boys achieving the highest levels in their writing.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Their attainment on entry to the nursery is broadly in line with expectation for their age. They make good progress in the nursery and Reception because the teaching is good and the curriculum is well suited to their needs. Standards by the end of Year 2 are above average. Assessments in reading, writing and mathematics in 2005 were all above national figures. All groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make good progress because of the help they receive from teachers and teaching assistants. The school is constantly striving to raise standards even further and sets challenging targets for itself and for pupils. It has appropriately identified as areas for development girls' achievement at the highest levels in mathematics and boys' achievement at the highest levels in writing. Individual pupil's progress is carefully and accurately tracked and

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Grade: 2

effective action is taken to meet their needs. As a result, pupils meet and often exceed their targets. 2 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Infant School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January 2006

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of pupils are good. Behaviour is exemplary, as are pupils' attitudes to work. Bullying rarely occurs and if it does, in the words of a member of the school council, 'it would be sorted with no messing". Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils show compassion towards others and raise funds to assist those less fortunate than themselves. They are very supportive of one another and particularly of those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong. Relationships between all pupils and also between staff and pupils are harmonious. Pupils enjoy finding out about the traditions of other cultures, for example, when they listen to Chinese music to celebrate Chinese New Year. Attendance is broadly average. The figures for unauthorised absence, at zero per cent, are outstandingly good. However, the school needs to continue to

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Grade: 2

work hard with parents to reduce authorised absence. Year 2 pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education. Pupils feel safe at school. They learn about healthy lifestyles and the importance of a good diet. Pupils make an exceptional contribution to the school's ethos, for example, being involved in the KO (kindness to others) project. Pupils contribute to the wider community in several ways, including singing Christmas carols for the local senior citizens.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good with examples of outstanding practice. As a result, pupils learn well and make good progress. Teachers plan their lessons well. They outline clearly at the start of lesson what they want pupils to learn, and they constantly refer to this, so pupils understand why they are doing the activities. Teachers make good use of resources, particularly the new interactive whiteboards, to enhance teaching and learning. They have high expectations for their pupils' learning and challenge pupils' thinking through good question and answer sessions. Pupils are well motivated and complete their tasks willingly. Teachers have particularly good rapport with the pupils, and behaviour management is a strength of lessons. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress in line with their peers because teachers know them well and plan activities for them carefully which are taught skilfully by

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Grade: 2

capable teaching assistants and teachers. Higher attaining pupils are identified and the school is working to improve the attainment of these pupils in some areas. Assessment is good. Rigorous target setting is used very well by teachers to help pupils make progress in all areas. Teachers set targets to help pupils understand the standards they are expected to attain, and, through careful explanation, ensure that pupils know what they need to do in order to improve. 3 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Infant School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January 2006

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Grade: 2

The comprehensive coverage of the National Curriculum and the fact it is under-pinned by the Christian values of the school result in a very good curriculum. It is broad and balanced and is enriched by an expanding range of activities such as after school clubs for French and football. The curriculum effectively meets the needs and interests of all its pupils. It is planned very well to develop pupils' skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT), and it places strong emphasis on the use of these skills throughout all aspects of the curriculum. Personal, social and emotional development and citizenship is a strength of the school. The curriculum is enriched further by a wide range of educational visits, such as the visit to Runswick Bay, to study the environment. The school promotes the importance of healthy living extremely well. However, the lack of outdoor provision for nursery and Reception

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Grade: 2

pupils needs to be addressed to enhance their development.

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Grade: 1

The school modestly judges care, guidance and support as good but they are outstanding. The headteacher leads the outstanding care of all pupils very effectively. The school values all of its community highly. Child protection procedures are thorough. Risk assessments are carried out effectively. Staff know the children very well and very good relationships mean that pupils feel secure. The system for the monitoring of pupils' academic and personal progress from the beginning of nursery to the end of Year 2 is good. Visits to the junior school complement pupils' academic preparation and help with their social preparation for the next stage of their learning. Parents praise the support that their children receive, and are particularly warm in their praise of the happy and caring ethos of the school. As one parent put it 'My daughter goes in every day with the biggest smile, and comes out just as happy'.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The leadership of the headteacher is inspirational. She has built up a high performing team of governors, staff and parents to support her vision of a fully inclusive school where every child matters. Rigorous self-evaluation, including feedback from parents and pupils, results in high quality information which gives an accurate view of how well the school is performing. This information is used well to identify correct priorities for development, such as improving the standards reached by high attaining pupils. Effective action is taken to tackle areas to be developed. The coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the core subjects are good, and this good practice extends across all subjects. Governors are very knowledgeable about the school and provide a good balance of challenge and support. They work hard and effectively and meet their statutory responsibilities fully. The

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Grade: 2

headteacher and the school are held in high esteem by the parents, as shown by a 4 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Infant School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January 2006 comment on a questionnaire - 'an excellent school, inclusive and welcoming at all times.' The school has improved well since the last inspection and is well placed to improve further. Key factors in this are the knowledge and enthusiasm of staff and their willingness to share ideas and work together for the greatest benefit to the pupils. This is why standards are continuing to rise across the school. 5 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Infant School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January 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 Infant School, 30 January 2006 to 31 January 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 2 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 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 1 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

As you know we recently visited you to find out how well your teachers are helping you with your learning. Thank you for being so friendly and willing to talk to us. It was useful to know what you think about your school. We did enjoy having lunch with you and listening to some good advice on 'healthy eating'. There are some things that we think are really good about your school. These are: - the enthusiasm from you and your teachers in wanting to do well - the good progress you make in your work - how well your headteacher and teachers know you so that they can plan exciting activities and lessons that will challenge you to improve even more - your parents are happy with the school and all it does for you - your behaviour is excellent and you are learning to be safe and have healthy life styles. We have asked your teachers to improve a couple of things to make your school even better. These are: - to help older girls and boys achieve even higher standards in mathematics and writing

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

- for children in the nursery and Reception classes we think that you should have more opportunities to take part in more interesting activities outside. We think you will enjoy that.

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