Holy Trinity, Guildford, CofE Aided Junior School

Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School Inspection report

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125288 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 328331 Inspection number 5 February 2009 Inspection date Juliet Ward 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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Junior Type of school Voluntary aided School category 7–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 387 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority Rev Robert Cotton Chair Mr Richard Rowe Headteacher 2 March 2006 Date of previous school inspection Addison Road School address Guildford GU1 3QF 01483 539033 Telephone number 01483 451227 Fax number

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7–11 Age group 5 February 2009 Inspection date 328331 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. 2 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issue:

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Introduction

■ how well the school had raised the attainment in mathematics of the lower-attaining pupils.

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Introduction

The inspector gathered evidence by jointly observing lessons with senior managers, discussions with staff, governors and pupils, by scrutiny of pupils' work, monitoring of parental questionnaires and the school's records of checks on the quality of its work, and by tracking pupils' progress. 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 by its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

Holy Trinity serves a section of the community in and around Guildford. It is oversubscribed. Two thirds of the pupils in the school come from a local feeder infant school and the remaining third from several small village schools and other town schools. The number of children with a Statement of Special Educational Need and on the Register for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above the national average. Their difficulties are wide-ranging and include pupils with specific learning difficulties such as poor communication skills, a significant number with autistic spectrum disorder and some with behavioural problems. There are higher than national average numbers of children from minority ethnic backgrounds and with English as an additional language, but most of these pupils are able to speak and understand English comfortably.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009

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Grade: 1

'Holy Trinity is a vibrant and enthusiastic school with teachers who really care about the children enjoying their learning. A lovely caring community with a positive Christian ethos.' This accolade only begins to describe the continued success of this high-quality and inclusive school. Pupils' achievement and their personal development and well-being are outstanding. Parents justifiably have great confidence in the school, and almost all detailed their views to the inspector. Underpinning the school's success are outstanding leadership and management, driven by the clear vision and direction of the headteacher and leadership team. They are focused firmly on raising achievement through an imaginative curriculum and excellent teaching that enables pupils to thrive in a stimulating, safe and caring environment. Standards at the end of Year 6 have been considerably above average for several years. All

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Grade: 1

groups of pupils make substantial progress from their starting points and their achievement is outstanding. The school recognised that standards attained in 2008 in science were lower than in English and mathematics, particularly for the more able. Leaders are tackling this by improving the teaching of investigative skills and consequently standards in science are rising. Pupils' skills and enjoyment in reading have been effectively nurtured through involving them and their parents in the selection of the books, journals and comics they borrow to read at home. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the most gifted and talented are given very well matched support and challenge to enable them to reach their potential. As one parent said to the inspector, 'The school provides an environment in which the children thrive; from an educational perspective they are encouraged to be open-minded and questioning which

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Grade: 1

makes for a deeper seam of learning.' A great strength of the school is the way it effectively promotes pupils' personal qualities. This is underpinned by the school's emphasis on Christian values, which is reflected in the pupils' outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. One parent wrote, 'Holy Trinity has taught my children to love life and approach every challenge with enthusiasm and effort; even those that appear daunting.' Pupils make an outstanding contribution to the school community by taking advantage of the extensive opportunities that are available for them to take responsibility. Through the school council, pupils have been able to pose areas for improvement and make a difference. A high proportion of pupils engage enthusiastically in physical exercise and sport and they are proud of the many sporting trophies they hold. Acting as playground mentors, pupils support their peers and make sure that all take responsibility

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Grade: 1

seriously. They make extensive contributions to the wider community and perform music and drama in local church and community events. Pupils celebrate their work in the local community, putting up displays in the local medical centre, making tea for the local elderly and taking part in the yearly Pancake Day celebrations with the Charlotteville Trust. An outstanding element of the pupils' contribution to others, including to the local and global community, is seen through the links with several schools in Europe and Africa. Pupils and staff from schools in Turkey, Poland, Italy and Romania have spent time at Holy Trinity, staying with pupils and their parents, staff and governors and working alongside pupils in school. Staff and pupils of Holy Trinity have made reciprocal visits to these schools abroad. There are very well established links with a school in Uganda. Pupils feel safe in school, and have great confidence in staff. Attitudes

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Grade: 1

to learning and behaviour are excellent. Pupils of all ages enjoy school immensely and are proud to belong to the 'family' community. As a result, their attendance is significantly better than 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009 that of most schools and there are no exclusions. Pupils' excellent personal qualities and basic skills equip them to be successful, responsible and caring young citizens. Outstanding teaching and learning play a major role in ensuring pupils enjoyment and achievement. As one pupil said, 'They make learning interesting and fun.' Teachers plan thoroughly and provide well-considered learning objectives. The variety of interesting tasks keeps pupils working at a lively pace. Teachers provide articulate explanations and use skilful questioning to check and develop pupils' knowledge and understanding. In most lessons, pupils are active and, in the best, they are encouraged to work independently for significant periods

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Grade: 1

of time. Teaching assistants are deployed well and provide effective support. The use of assessment to inform learning is evident in lessons; pupils are regularly told how well they are doing and are given clear guidance on how to improve their work. Pupils keep 'Learning Journals' and are beginning to competently assess their own skills and the areas they need to improve. Pupils told the inspector that they love discussing how much progress they have made and the challenge of doing even better. The school's rigorous monitoring and assessment system ensures any underperformance is tackled quickly through well-focused interventions. This is clearly seen in how well staff support lower-attaining pupils, for example in mathematics, as identified in the last inspection report, and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities so that they make outstanding progress. One parent echoed the view of many when she wrote, 'The teachers

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Grade: 1

understand what makes children tick and how to capture their imagination, and to bring life into the topics they study.' Pupils benefit much from the school's outstanding, rich curriculum that is very successful in meeting the needs and interests of all. Attainment data are used very well to guide staff on developing the curriculum and to arrange groups of pupils. Beneficial partnerships have been established with local schools and initial teacher training institutions. The contributions from outside speakers and parents prepare pupils very well for future employment. Pupils are very positive about the extensive enrichment and extended learning activities. The exceptionally wide-ranging choice of lunchtime and before and after school activities caters for all needs. One pupil collated the take-up of all these clubs, and another told the inspector that she 'so enjoyed the outdoor activities that she had joined an external outdoor activity club on Saturdays'.

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Grade: 1

All staff show high levels of commitment to providing high-quality care, guidance and support. Vulnerable pupils are supported very well through personalised programmes. The school provides a supportive family environment that all pupils recognise and value. As one pupil said of the school staff, 'They are very caring and listen to children's problems.' Academic progress is monitored very well and pupils' targets are regularly reviewed and discussed with them. Child protection requirements and procedures are fully in place and the safeguarding of pupils is robust. Strong links have been established with parents and outside agencies to support the school's work and promote pupils' well-being. The pupils' adoption of healthy lifestyles, their excellent behaviour, the high level of participation in activities and their achievement are testament to the outstanding care, guidance and support they receive.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher and leadership team are not complacent about the outstanding quality of education provided by the school and are continually striving to improve its performance. There is a shared vision and passion for the pupils to experience an exciting and stimulating education for life. Many parents paid tribute to the headteacher. One parent wrote, 'This is an exceptional school; the headteacher is inspirational and leads the school very well.' Self-evaluation is highly effective and accurate. Systematic and rigorous monitoring and evaluation are used to help the school meet challenging targets. Thorough, regular observation of lessons provides an accurate evaluation of teaching and learning that leads to clear identification of priorities for 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009 development. Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection.

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Grade: 1

Enhanced monitoring and evaluation, the support given to raise the practice of middle managers and improvements in academic guidance have had a substantial impact. The governors are well informed and execute their responsibilities very competently. They provide highly effective support and challenge. Year-on-year improvements in standards and achievement, the quality of teaching and learning and in academic guidance show that the school has outstanding capacity to build on its strengths.

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What the school should do to improve further

Although there are no substantial weaknesses, the inspector agreed with the school that in order to build on its success, it should concentrate on:

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What the school should do to improve further

■ aiming to extend and improve the quality of the pupils' skills in investigating science. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009 .

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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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009

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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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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? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

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

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Achievement and standards

1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009

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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 The extent to which 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

17 February 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School,Guildford,GU1 3QF I would like to thank you for making me so welcome when I came to your school. I really enjoyed visiting all of your classes, looking at your work and talking with you. Your school is outstanding and has so many really special features, especially in the way you and your parents feel supported and helped to make sure you all enjoy coming to school and learning. You have so many opportunities to participate in after school clubs and go on visits. All of the adults working with you care very much about you and want you to do well. Your headteacher is passionate about making sure you all develop a love for learning. Some of your parents said how impressed they are with how the teachers inspire you so much that you love coming to school. You make outstanding progress during your time at Holy Trinity. Your teachers

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

make lessons fascinating. Your behaviour is exemplary and you listen so well in lessons and try really hard. It was good to see how kind you are and how willingly you help each other. I agree with your headteacher and teachers that they are right to keep checking how well you are all doing, particularly in investigations in your science lessons. Please thank your parents for kindly sending in the letters and responses to the questionnaire; there were so many responses with lots of extra comments about Holy Trinity. These helped me to understand how well the school is doing. Yours faithfully, Juliet Ward Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Holy Trinity CofE Aided Junior School, 5 February 2009

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