Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Lower Beeding

Holy Trinity CofE Primary School Inspection report

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125987 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 315381 Inspection number 31 October 2007 Inspection date Sheila Browning 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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Primary Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 68 School The governing body Appropriate authority Patrick Collins Chair Tracey Bishop Headteacher 8 December 2003 Date of previous school inspection Church Close School address Lower Beeding Horsham RH13 6NS 01403 891263 Telephone number 01403 891115 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 31 October 2007 Inspection date 315381 Inspection number .

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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. The inspection evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: achievement and standards in mathematics and writing, particularly in relation to the more able pupils, and how effectively leaders and managers bring about improvement. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in the report. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, the scrutiny of pupils’ work, assessment data and documents. In addition, interviews were held with pupils, members of the governing body, the headteacher and middle managers.

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Description of the school

This school is smaller than average. Attainment on entry to Reception varies from year to year, but it is mostly above that expected for children of this age. The school takes pupils from the local area and further afield. Most children are from White British backgrounds; very few pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is increasing. In recognition of its work, the school has Healthy School status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 31 October 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. As one parent commented,' Holy Trinity has a wonderful family atmosphere, my daughter loves it here'. Pupils are valued equally and say that 'everyone is like a big friend' and 'we like mixed-age classes because we work well together'. The high quality relationships are also evidenced in the outstanding quality care and support given to pupils. Teachers assess pupils' individual needs carefully and ensure that they are well catered for. Good practices in assessment and academic guidance involve pupils directly in checking their own work and in setting future targets jointly with their teachers. Pupils say they understand what they need to do to improve their work and find teachers' comments helpful. Strong links with external agencies have benefited both staff and pupils. One particularly successful link with an outside agency has provided specific training for staff to enable them to support those

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Grade: 2

with speech and language difficulties. Safeguarding procedures are robust. Parents are very supportive of the school and are actively involved in their children's learning from the start. Parents help with homework, clubs and visits and work with small groups of pupils to improve information and communication technology skills. Pupils' outstanding personal development is reflected in the inclusive nature of the school and through its Christian ethos. The school's conspicuous attention given to encouraging pupils' spiritual, social and cultural development, combined with the good personal education, make a strong contribution to pupils' personal development. Consequently, pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Attendance is above average and indicates pupils' enjoyment of school, and pupils say 'we really enjoy school'. They make an outstanding contribution to school life and the local community. The school

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Grade: 2

council meets regularly and contributes to fundraising events. They manage and reinvest their budget to buy new playtime equipment. Within the wider community, Year 4 pupils take turns to prepare soup for the church's Lenten lunches. Pupils have a good understanding of how to lead safe, healthy lifestyles. Despite the constraints of the accommodation, they participate in an extensive range of sporting activities and are regularly successful in local tournaments and competitions. Extra-curricular clubs are very popular and participation rates are high. Pupils say that 'all the clubs and activities are just great'. Pupils work collaboratively with others and are very well prepared for their future lives. Pupils achieve well. National test results in 2007 at Key Stage I were the best yet and the school has maintained a trend of above average standards at Key Stage 2. Children make a good start in Reception and build on this good progress in Years 1 and 2 to achieve above average

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Grade: 2

standards. By Year 6, above average standards have been maintained in English and science, and are high in mathematics as a result of their outstanding progress in this subject during Key Stage 2. The school uses its tracking and monitoring information extremely successfully to pinpoint areas for improvement in pupils' progress. As a result of its actions to resolve the difference between pupils' achievement in reading and writing, the gap has narrowed this year. Nevertheless, the school is aware that more needs to be done to ensure that improvement continues and is exploring ways to raise standards in writing and reading further for all pupils, and especially for more able writers. Teaching is good because staff work hard to ensure learning is securely rooted in first-hand experience that holds pupils' interest and increases their enjoyment of learning. These positive features are especially evident in mathematics, where teaching is well focused on ensuring that

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Grade: 2

there are practical learning opportunities that tap into pupils' investigative and problem-solving skills. In a mathematics lesson in Years 5 and 6, pupils were bursting to respond to quick-fire 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 31 October 2007 questions about fractions. Later, pupils said that mathematics is taught 'in a fun way and we learn from playing'. Teachers also make good links between subjects and encourage pupils to transfer skills learnt in one area to another. For example, a writing week focused on a local myth about the dragon in St Leonard's Forest. The exciting 'discovery' of dragon eggs and footprints led to some excellent writing. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 researched facts and prepared PowerPoints for a World War II presentation and spoke vividly about their 'London Blitz' experience. Teachers and support assistants have good expectations of what pupils are capable

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Grade: 2

of achieving. Continuity is provided because staff generally teach the same children for two years. Teachers' planning is comprehensive and good overall and usually meets the differing needs of pupils. The headteacher gives a strong steer to the school's continued improvement. Staff and governors share her vision and work well as a team. Staff have significant subject responsibilities. These have recently been reviewed to ensure they are shared equally and they are developing well in role. The school looks carefully at its performance, and takes robust action to bring about improvement. The relatively new governing body brings much expertise. Governors are supportive and forward- looking and are increasing the degree to which they challenge the school. Despite the need to constantly attend to the limitations of the school's accommodation, the school has maintained a trend overtime of above average standards and good pupil achievement, which

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Grade: 2

demonstrates the school's good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

Provision in Reception is good. Most children have some pre-school experience and skills are above expectations for their age when they join the school. A high level of support and guidance, a good induction programme and strong links with parents ensure children settle quickly and make a good start to their learning. Teachers and adults provide a good balance of structured and practical first-hand experiences. Children acquire a good knowledge of language, number and understanding of the world. Opportunities to develop children's independent and physical skills have improved since the last inspection, due to better facilities and equipment. Due to circumstances beyond the school's control, opportunities to develop outdoor play are limited. The school and governors are working hard to compensate for this by developing the outside area so that it is a safe and stimulating area for independent learning. In addition, they ensure

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Grade: 2

that children have lots of opportunities to use the large apparatus in the hall.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Explore a wider range of resources to develop the teaching of writing and encourage more able writers of all age ranges to achieve their best. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 31 October 2007 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 31 October 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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 31 October 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 31 October 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

31 October 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Horsham, RH13 6NS Thank you all so much for the friendly welcome you gave me when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed talking with you and watching you learn. I am writing to tell you that Holy Trinity is a good school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Here are some other important things about your school:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ your behaviour and attitudes to school are outstanding and you really get on extremely well with each other ■ you make good progress in your learning and achieve above average standards overall, and you do especially well in mathematics ■ yours is a safe, happy school where you know how to lead safe and healthy lifestyles

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you contribute so well to your school and the local community and are very well prepared for your future lives ■ teaching is good and you told me how much you enjoy school and your lessons, especially mathematics ■ your teachers and headteacher work really hard to help you achieve well

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ many of you enjoy the extra clubs and activities and many of you achieve well in competitions and sporting events ■ you like your teachers and the way they take such good care of you and have a good knowledge of your targets and what you have to do to improve your work. Here are things the school has been asked to improve:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ to make sure that you all make the best possible progress in writing I have asked the school to help all of you, especially those of you who are more able, to further improve your writing skills.. With best wishes Sheila Browning Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, 31 October 2007

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