Trinity Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching and pupil outcomes by ensuring that:
  • teachers plan activities to support all pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, so that they can meet the high level of challenge in learning and make at least good progress
  • pupils improve the presentation of their work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher’s quiet determination and clear vision for the school have ensured that staff are committed to ensuring good outcomes for all pupils. Leaders have well-thought-out plans to increase leadership capacity as the school roll increases to ensure that standards are maintained.
• The leadership of teaching is strong. School leaders have a very explicit vision of what teaching and learning should look like. Consequently, there is a very high degree of consistency in the strengths and quality of teaching, learning and assessment. School leaders monitor teaching effectively and take action if it dips below the standard expected.
• Newly qualified teachers are well supported to develop their teaching and behaviour management skills. They say that the weekly training sessions, available for all staff, have been particularly helpful in providing opportunities for them to learn from others and share their own best practice.
• The school’s vision is based on an academic curriculum and aims to prepare pupils for university entrance. The range of subjects is continuing to broaden as the year groups move up the school. Academic subjects are complemented by art, drama through English and physical education (PE). School leaders have plans to strengthen the arts provision with specialist music facilities in the new building.
• The pupil premium funding has a positive impact on the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Senior leaders and governors review expenditure to ensure that the funding adds value through practical support for learning and access to the curriculum.
• Support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective. Under new leadership, the assessment of pupils is more rigorous and organised. The team of teaching assistants is increasing in size, and intervention and support are having a positive impact on pupils’ progress. As a result, additional funding for these pupils is spent wisely.
• Since its opening, the school has been in temporary accommodation. The present temporary classrooms are clean, warm, comfortable and well resourced. The headteacher has fought hard to ensure that this is so. However, the present lack of outside space limits the areas where pupils can play and relax. This has been a challenging time for pupils and staff and a test of leadership. The new building is on track to open in September 2017.

Governance of the school

• Governors have a clear vision for the school, to provide a highly academic education for pupils and to provide equality of opportunity for disadvantaged groups. Through their constancy to their vision and astute recruitment, this vision is having a positive impact.
• Governors recruit teaching staff who are in tune with their vision for the school and who share the school’s values so there is a high degree of consistency in the quality of teaching.
• Governors know the school well. They scrutinise information about pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching and ask challenging questions about the provision for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Governors have introduced governors’ panels as part of the process for reducing exclusions.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are knowledgeable and have regular training through the Wednesday sessions about specific risks to pupils and what to do about them. New staff have induction training when they arrive at the school. They are confident in reporting concerns. Records of the checks on the suitability of staff to work in the school are well managed.
• School leaders’ record keeping of concerns is effective. Actions and impact are recorded, so that individual pupils can be supported effectively and the school can review its own procedures and impact. School leaders are using a range of support through the local authority, the police and other agencies to support pupils to stay safe.
• Pupils have had workshops and information sessions on how to stay safe on the internet and when using mobile phones. School leaders draw up thorough risk assessments for activities and follow these rigorously to ensure that pupils are safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching, learning and assessment are good. Teachers are enthusiastic about their subjects. They have good subject knowledge and use this to plan interesting learning activities. Teachers sequence learning activities effectively and provide well-designed resources for pupils.
• Teachers know their pupils well. They have access to pupils’ assessment information and use it effectively in their planning.
• Teachers deploy their questioning skills effectively so that pupils can deepen their understanding. For example, a Year 9 English group were studying ‘Lord of the Flies’. The teacher’s skilful questioning enabled pupils to develop an understanding of ‘savagery’ and ‘civilised’ as a continuum rather than being simply opposite ideas.
• Pupils’ learning is purposeful. Pupils know what they are learning and why, and can articulate and explain their learning clearly.
• Pupils concentrate well in class and enjoy learning. They listen carefully, ask pertinent questions of their teachers and work well with each other. For example, in Year 7 Spanish, the whole class worked together under the leadership of their teacher to extend and embed their knowledge of vocabulary about the weather.
• The level of challenge is high so that most pupils make good progress in their learning. However, some pupils, particularly pupils who speak English as an additional language, do not make the progress of which they are capable. This is because activities are not structured well enough to meet their needs from their different starting points.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school’s values of wisdom, fairness, courage and self-discipline have a high profile throughout the school and a strong impact on pupils’ personal development. Pupils develop their understanding of these values through the curriculum and all aspects of school life. They were keen to discuss with inspectors what these values mean to them.
• Pupils develop a wide range of social skills to help them grow into confident young people. Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors and were a credit to the school during the inspection.
• In spite of the limitations of the present accommodation, school leaders and staff are committed to the idea of ‘family dining’. Year groups and staff sit together and members of the group serve others with vegetables and dessert. This promotes a positive social environment for pupils.
• Pupils know about bullying and say that staff will deal with it. Pupils are confident that they have a trusted adult whom they would go to if it were to happen. Incidents of racist and homophobic bullying are rare and pupils trust adults to sort out any issues that do arise.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. In classes, pupils almost always behave well and this enables them to learn and make progress. Pupils say that learning is only rarely disrupted and that if this happens, teachers respond quickly so that pupils can focus on their work. Pupils like the points system for positive behaviour and achievement.
• Pupils are smart in their uniform and their conduct around the building is orderly and purposeful. Pupils know what is expected of them and respond positively to school leaders’ high expectations.
• Out in the community, pupils represent the school well. For example, on a visit to the local leisure centre as part of the PE curriculum, pupils behaved well and were responsive to teachers’ instructions.
• There were too many exclusions in 2015/16. School leaders recognised this and took action. The total for the current year has fallen to a third of the figure for the previous year. Excluded pupils who spoke to the inspector were clear that they felt well supported by the school. They were able to reflect on their behaviour and improve it.
• Pupils’ attendance is above the national figure. Some groups of pupils attend less well but no group’s attendance is significantly below where it should be. Leaders monitor this carefully and work effectively with the educational welfare officer to support pupils to come to school regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils make good progress in their studies across the range of subjects because of the consistently high standards of teaching and learning.
• Work in pupils’ books and pupils’ progress information show that the proportion of pupils meeting age-related expectations and making good progress is at least in line with national figures. Disadvantaged pupils make progress in line with other pupils.
• Pupils’ numeracy skills are developed effectively. Pupils apply their numeracy skills well in subjects other than mathematics. For example, in science, pupils applied their knowledge of number series to working out the general formulas of groups of hydrocarbons.
• Pupils’ speaking skills are very well developed. Pupils are articulate and explain what and how they are learning very well. Pupils are expected to justify their views in class and they rise to the challenge that this presents. A club and participation in competitions develop pupils’ debating skills.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are increasingly well supported by teaching assistants. Pupils’ progress information shows that this group of pupils are now making better progress and this is exhibited by work in books.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language do not always make consistently good progress because learning activities do not always meet their needs from their present starting points.
• Overall, pupils’ work is not as well presented as it should be. Some less able pupils and those who are less well organised struggle to look after their work without the support of high expectations and clear routines so evident in other aspects of school life.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140966 Lambeth 10031671 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Secondary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy free school 11 to 18 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 157 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Dennis Sewell Ben Thompson 020 3126 4993 www.trinityacademylondon.org info@trinityacademylondon.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Trinity Academy is a free school in the London Borough of Lambeth. The school opened in September 2014. The school currently has 157 pupils on roll in Years 7, 8 and 9.
• The school is in its third set of temporary buildings. A new school is being built on the present site and is due to open in September 2017. The school uses a local leisure centre for physical education activities during the building of the new school.
• The school does not use any alternative provision.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than average.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed pupils’ learning in all year groups. All visits to lessons were made jointly with the headteacher and other senior staff.
• Three groups of pupils spoke with the inspector about their views of the school. There were no responses to the pupil survey. The inspector talked informally with pupils at break- and lunchtime.
• The inspector looked at pupils’ work in classes and scrutinised a selection of pupils’ books to see how well pupils are learning and what impact this has on their progress.
• A meeting was held with a group of governors, including the chair of governors. Telephone conversations were held with an adviser from the local authority and the safer schools officer from the Metropolitan Police.
• Subject leaders and newly qualified teachers met with the inspector to discuss their views of the school and the impact of their work.
• The inspector scrutinised school documents, including the school’s own self-evaluation, records of pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance, minutes of governors’ meetings and safeguarding records.
• The inspector took account of the five responses to the online staff survey.
• The inspector considered the four responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, and the school’s own parent survey results.

Inspection team

Janet Hallett, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector