Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School

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119485 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291436 Inspection number 16 January 2007 Inspection date Shirley Herring Reporting inspector

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

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Raglan Road School address Primary Type of school Burnley, Lancashire Voluntary aided School category BB11 4LB 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01282 434368 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 426291 Fax number 227 Number on roll (school) Mr Ian Bannister Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Catherine Braithwaite Headteacher 1 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 291436 16 January 2007 4 °11 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Holy Trinity is an average size primary school serving an area of high social deprivation. The number of pupils on role has fallen slightly due to the reduction in the standard admission number as families are rehoused out of the area. The vast majority of pupils are from a White British background and there are a small number of pupils of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Caribbean origin. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. There is a small number of pupils at an early stage of learning English and a small number of looked after children. The school has extensive links with the diocese, the parish, local colleges and other community organisations.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Holy Trinity is a good school with some outstanding features. One parent described the school as ‘a gem in a struggling area’. The outstanding level of care and guidance reflects the school’s strong Christian tradition and ensures that pupils feel safe and secure. The curriculum is stimulating. There is a good balance between the subjects and this helps pupils to enjoy school. Personal development is good. Pupils have a positive attitude to their work and behaviour is excellent throughout the school. They show a good understanding of the need for a healthy lifestyle as can be seen by the achievement of a national Healthy Schools award. Many pupils join in well with the extensive after school sporting activities. Pupils make an exceptional contribution to the community through fulfilling their responsibilities in school, such as belonging to the school council, in a mature and responsible way. They also participate extensively in church activities and in the

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Grade: 2

wider community. Pupils play an active part in The Burnley Building Bridges Project, which brings the Moslem and Christian communities closer together. The success of these initiatives has been recognised in the achievement of the Race Equality Charter Mark. The good standards pupils achieve in key skills, their good attitudes to work and their ability to work together effectively and take responsibility is an excellent preparation for the future. Achievement is good because good teaching and effective support from learning assistants help pupils to learn well. Children enter school with skills that are below what is usual for their age. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage because of high quality provision, and many reach the learning goals expected by the end of the Reception class. Progress is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and standards are broadly average by the end of Year 2. Teaching is not consistently challenging to ensure that

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Grade: 2

all pupils, particularly the higher attaining pupils, make enough progress in all lessons. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2. They achieve well because of consistently good teaching and effective assessment procedures that enable teachers to match work closely to pupils’ needs. Results of national tests show that standards are above average by the time pupils leave school. The high level of support provided in the special learning groups leads to pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities making good progress and helps vulnerable pupils to settle, gain confidence and be fully involved in school. Leadership and management are good. The strong leadership of the headteacher is the driving force behind the rigorous and accurate evaluation of the school’s work. This has led to good improvement since the last inspection. The school has a clear picture of how to raise standards. For example, the investment of resources to establish

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Grade: 2

special learning groups for pupils who need an extra boost has proved to be effective in raising achievement in Key Stage 2. Governance is good. Management is collaborative, including governors who are supportive and well informed. Subject leaders play a full role in setting priorities to raise standards. This team approach, combined with the school’s accurate self-evaluation, show a good capacity to improve further. 2 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase pupils’ progress in Key Stage 1.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ achievement is good. From a below average starting point, children make good progress in the Foundation Stage. Language and communication skills are poor when children start and well-structured teaching in the Reception year helps children to overcome these barriers and the majority reach the standard expected for their age. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1. It improves in Year 2 where teaching is more challenging. Results of teacher assessments in Year 2 show standards are broadly average; although few pupils achieved the higher Level 3. The most recent results show some improvement. Progress is good in Key Stage 2 due to consistently good teaching and the high level of skilled support. Results of national tests in Year 6 show standards are above average and have been for the last four years. There is no consistent difference between the achievement of boys and girls. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well because they benefit

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Grade: 2

from working in special learning groups where work and the pace of learning are well matched to their needs. These groups for pupils in Key Stage 2 have proved effective over some time. It is too soon to judge the effect of the more recent introduction into Key Stage 1, though the work seen during the inspection was encouraging. Pupils for whom English is an additional language and looked after pupils receive a good level of support and they achieve well.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good and attendance is satisfactory. A high priority is placed on personal, social and emotional development in the Foundation Stage so children develop good attitudes to school from an early age. Throughout the school, pupils say they enjoy their education. They understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, including healthy food and exercise. They feel safe in school and are confident that should anyone be unkind in the playground, the adult on duty would sort it out straight away. They also learn how to keep safe through visits from the Fire Brigade and the involvement with the Right Start Pedestrian Programme. Pupils’ contribution to the community is outstanding. As well as fulfilling many responsibilities in school, pupils raise funds for charity and join in church and town celebrations. For example, the choir sang in the celebration of the twinning of

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Grade: 2

Burnley with a town in France. Pupils also take part in special initiatives to link the Christian and Moslem communities. Pupils are very well prepared for future economic well-being because of the high standards they achieve in literacy and numeracy, their 3 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007 ability to work successfully together and their good understanding of the responsibilities of citizenship. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and an atmosphere of mutual respect is evident throughout the school. This is a strong factor in the excellent behaviour observed around the school and at playtimes.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall and pupils learn well. Teaching is effective in the Foundation Stage and children make good gains in their learning. Activities are well structured and show a good understanding of how young children learn. Throughout the school, teachers give clear instructions and demonstrations to help pupils to understand; for example, a graphic display of how to change a remainder into a fraction helped pupils to improve their arithmetic skills. In the best lessons, activities are challenging and motivate pupils to work hard. This is not always the case and, in some lessons in Key Stage 1, expectations are not high enough and the overuse of worksheets in Year 1 fails to inspire pupils. Teachers make good use of ongoing assessment, in lessons and when marking work, to help pupils overcome any difficulty. In the special learning support groups, work is well planned to meet the needs of pupils

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Grade: 2

who work at a slower rate and they learn well. A good feature throughout the school is the good contribution from the many skilled support staff who enhance pupils’ learning considerably.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets the needs of pupils well. The good emphasis on literacy and numeracy contributes to the high standards achieved by pupils by the time they leave school. The school has successfully maintained a good coverage of other subjects, such as history and design and technology, and pupils also benefit from French lessons. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good and is based on a varied range of suitable practical activities, which help children learn. Suitable priority is given to children’s personal, social and emotional development and contributes to pupils’ confidence to take part in all on offer. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are catered for well. Pupils with specific gifts or talents have been identified. Provision is at an early stage with a new link with the high schools for these pupils to benefit from specialised activities in the summer

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Grade: 2

term. There is a good range of visits, visitors and additional activities after school to enrich learning. The extensive number of sporting clubs is well supported and makes a good contribution to pupils’ understanding of healthy lifestyles. 4 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support is outstanding and embodies the school’s Christian tradition. All the recommended procedures to safeguard pupils are in place and they say they feel safe and secure in school. The governing body has made a strong commitment to additional staffing to teach pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who are starting to fall behind their peers. This helps to raise their self-esteem and makes an immense contribution to the good standards achieved. Looked after pupils are supported very well and this enables them to take a full part in all activities. Close links with external agencies enable staff to gain advice to guide their support for these pupils. Assessment procedures are good and used well to track pupils’ progress and spot and remedy underachievement. Pupils receive regular guidance to help them improve. Termly targets focus their efforts on improving their literacy, numeracy skills and their

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Grade: 1

attitudes to school. This has helped pupils to achieve good standards and excellent behaviour.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and have enabled the school to sustain high standards and provide good value for money. Honest, rigorous and accurate evaluation of its own work results in an accurate picture of what is working well and what requires attention. This process of self-evaluation is a collaborative process including subject leaders, who lead their subject well. It includes detailed analysis of test results and effective monitoring of teaching. The school uses this information well to plan improvements and this indicates the school has a good capacity to improve. Governance is good. The headteacher and governors work well together to plan the most effective use of resources. The decision to use resources to extend the effective additional learning support groups to Key Stage 1 shows the school’s commitment to equality for all pupils. 5 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Raglan Road Burnley Lancashire BB11 4LB 18 January 2007 Dear Pupils Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. I was very impressed by your excellent behaviour throughout the day. I enjoyed talking to the school council. They take their job seriously and have some interesting ideas for the school. All the adults take superb care of you all and ensure that you are safe. The teachers and other adults support you very well in class and explain things clearly to you to help you understand. By the time you leave Holy Trinity, you have reached a good standard in literacy and numeracy because of the good teaching you receive and your own hard work. Keep it up. This prepares you very well for when you grow up. You make an excellent contribution to activities in the parish and in Burnley itself through projects such as the Burnley Building Bridges Project.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You make good progress during your time in school, particularly in the Reception class and Key Stage 2. To make things even better, I think a few pupils in Key Stage 1 could make even more progress. Yours sincerely Mrs Shirley Herring Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, 16 January 2007

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