Holy Trinity CofE (C) Primary School

Inspection Report Holy Trinity CofE (C) Primary School

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124294 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire LEA 281683 Inspection number 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005 Inspection dates Mike Capper RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Wetmore Road School address Primary Type of school Burton-on-Trent Voluntary controlled School category Staffordshire DE14 1SN 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01283 239495 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01283 239495 Fax number 180 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Ruth James Headteacher 29 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281683 28 September 2005 - 3 to 11 29 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This small church primary school is situated near the centre of Burton upon Trent. About half of the pupils come from the local community which comprises mostly of low cost terraced housing, with the rest coming from further afield through parental choice. Most pupils are taught in mixed age classes. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average, as is the number identified as having special educational needs. Children’s attainment on entry to the Nursery is slightly below average. At the time of the inspection, most of the pupils in Years 5 and 6 were out of school on a residential visit.

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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 (C) Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005

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Grade: 3

Overall effectiveness of the school This is a satisfactory school with significant strengths in pupils’ personal development. The school provides satisfactory value for money. Senior managers and governors have a realistic picture of how well the school is doing, and attainment has risen since the last inspection. There is a strong commitment to further improvement but the monitoring of teaching occasionally lacks rigour and not enough use is made of assessment information to set challenging targets. Provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory overall. Outstanding teaching in the nursery gives pupils a very good start to their education and pupils make satisfactory progress in the reception class. In Years 1 to 6, pupils make satisfactory progress and attainment is broadly average, although test results in writing have consistently lagged behind those of other subjects. Teaching is satisfactory; much of the teaching in Years 3 to

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Grade: 3

6 is good, but a lack of challenge in some lessons means that differing needs are not always met well enough. Nevertheless, pupils are well cared for and enjoy coming to school. They are confident, articulate and sociable, and take responsibility well. They enjoy the many interesting activities that the school provides outside lessons. The school has outstanding links with the local community.

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What the school should do to improve further

• raise standards in writing by ensuring that expectations are high enough for all pupils, especially the most able, and by giving pupils more opportunities to write purposefully across the curriculum • ensure that teaching consistently engages and challenges pupils and meets differing needs • check the progress of the school more rigorously and set more challenging targets for pupils.

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Grade: 3

Pupils join the school with attainment that is slightly below average overall. They achieve well in the Foundation Stage and, by the end of the reception year, attainment is similar to that found nationally. Progress is especially good in the nursery where personal, social and emotional skills are developed very effectively. In the reception class, pupils make satisfactory progress, building on the good start made in the nursery. In Years 1 to 6, standards are broadly average overall in English, mathematics and science. In English, reading is stronger than writing. Pupils make good progress in developing reading skills, but attainment in writing is below average and too few pupils reach the higher Level 5 by the end of Year 6. Although the current Year 6 is on target to achieve higher standards in national tests at the end of the year than in the recent past, writing continues to be weaker than other subjects. Pupils’ achievement in Years

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Grade: 3

1 to 6 is satisfactory but varies according to the quality of teaching. The best progress is made in Years 3 to 6, where there is more good teaching. There are no significant 2 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE (C) Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005 differences between the attainment and achievement of different groups of pupils; those with learning difficulties and disabilities make sound progress. The school has begun to set targets for individual pupils to aim at but these are not challenging enough to ensure more than satisfactory progress. Grade: 3

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Grade: 2

The school is successful in its aim of ‘developing a caring community of independent, co-operating members who respect themselves and others based on our Christian ethos.’ Pupils are confident and enjoy school; rates of attendance are good. Relationships between pupils are very strong. Pupils work hard, support each other well and behave very sensibly in lessons and around school. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils take responsibility willingly. The school council makes a good contribution to school life. For example, their ideas led to the development of a garden as an area of peace and quiet. Pupils happily celebrate each other’s successes and they participate enthusiastically in acts of worship. They write prayers for the school’s prayer tree that show a good concern for the welfare and well-being of others. Pupils know why they need to eat healthy foods and they understand the importance

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Grade: 2

of exercise and how it will help them to ‘learn better’. Pupils take a very active part in the local community, for example the choir performs to various groups and pupils regularly visit local businesses. These activities, together with pupils’ well developed social skills, prepare them well for the world of work. Grade: 2

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Grade: 3

Although there is much good and some outstanding teaching, the quality of teaching is too uneven and sometimes undemanding. The best teaching is in the nursery and in Years 3 to 6. Teaching in the nursery is outstanding. Pupils quickly acquire new skills through well organised and imaginative teaching. In Years 3 to 6, teachers use questioning well and generally have good expectations of what pupils should achieve. They plan interesting activities that motivate the pupils and hold their interest. Throughout the school, teachers are hard working and they plan carefully for each lesson. However, in the reception class and in Years 1 and 2 there are occasions when the pace of work is too slow leading to a loss of concentration and, throughout the school, there is not always enough challenge for more able pupils. This means that some pupils do not always fulfil their potential, especially in writing, where expectations

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Grade: 3

are not high enough. Teachers talk with pupils about how they can do better, but 3 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE (C) Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005 these targets are not always clear enough or challenging enough to help them improve sufficiently. Teachers have very caring relationships with the pupils, helping them to enjoy lessons. Well-trained teaching assistants are used well to support the learning of different groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Grade: 3

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Grade: 2

The curriculum mainly meets the needs and interests of pupils. There is an appropriate focus on developing pupils’ basic skills but there are missed opportunities for pupils to use their writing skills in all subjects. This holds back the pace at which writing can improve. A strength of the curriculum is the way that ‘life skills’ are taught. This is very effective in helping pupils to learn how to stay healthy and safe: the school has received ‘Healthy School’ and ‘Activemark’ awards in recognition of its work in successfully promoting healthy eating and exercise. The school makes outstanding use of the local area to support learning and to help pupils to contribute to the community. There are a very wide range of visits and visitors that bring subjects alive and contribute significantly to pupils’ academic and personal development. There is an excellent range of out-of-school activities. A very high

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Grade: 2

number of pupils take part in these activities and they help to make school fun. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

Whilst pupils’ academic guidance is satisfactory, their personal development is very well supported. This is a school that successfully places the personal care of its pupils at the centre of its work. All pupils are treated as part of the ‘school family’; members of staff know the pupils well, and there is a very strong commitment to ensuring their health and safety. Pupils say that they feel safe and secure and they know what to do if they have a worry. Child protection procedures are robust and any pupils who are at risk are quickly identified and supported. When necessary, the school works well with outside agencies and parents to help these pupils. The procedures for introducing new pupils into the Nursery are outstanding and help to ensure that pupils settle quickly. Grade: 2

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Grade: 3

Although there are important strengths, leadership and management is satisfactory overall. This is because the school’s procedures for checking how well it is doing are 4 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE (C) Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 September 2005 not always accurate enough. The monitoring of teaching is not rigorous enough and insufficient use is being made of the information collected on how well pupils are learning. Consequently, not enough has been done to ensure that work is consistently meeting differing needs, and standards in writing have not improved quickly enough. Nevertheless, senior managers and governors are hardworking and enthusiastic. They are steadily moving the school in the right direction and have the capacity to improve further. The headteacher is receptive to new ideas; there have been many recent initiatives, including new systems for tracking pupils’ progress and setting targets.

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Grade: 3

Some of these initiatives have had a positive impact on the achievement of pupils. For example, a project which involved fathers and sons in reading together has helped to improve boys’ reading skills. A strength of the headteacher’s leadership is the high level of pastoral care offered to all members of the school community. The very strong caring ethos that pervades all aspects of school life reflects the headteacher’s leadership. There is a strong sense of teamwork across the school. Parents’ and pupils’ views are valued and they are regularly consulted for their views of the school. These are very positive; for example, one parent commented ‘I have always been very happy with the care and education of my children. There is a family feel about the school and my children love going to school’. Grade: 3 5 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE (C) Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 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 (C) Primary School, 28 September 2005 to 29 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 3 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 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 1 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 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 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

Holy Trinity Church of England (C) Primary School, Wetmore Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1SN 30 September 2005 Dear Children Thank you for welcoming us to your school and for showing us your work. You were very polite and friendly. What we liked most about your school: Children in the Nursery settle well and the nursery nurse is helping you to learn lots of new things very quickly. We are very pleased that you enjoy school, behave well and work so hard in lessons. The school is very successful at teaching you about the importance of staying safe and healthy. Your teachers are very kind and caring and they look after you well. They make school fun and provide lots of interesting activities for you to take part in. We like the way that you get involved in the local community and take part in things that are happening in the town. Members of staff and governors are working hard to make the school even better

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your parents and carers are pleased that you come to this school. What we have asked your school to do now: We have asked the teachers to help you to learn even more quickly in writing. We feel that in some lessons the work is not hard enough for some of you. We think the headteacher and governors need to make more use of all the information they have to help them improve the school even further. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to you about your work and watching you learn and we wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely Mr M Capper Additional Inspector

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