The Trinity Church of England Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that middle leaders continue to address the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils’ attainment and progress are strong across the school.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning across the school, by:
  • providing effective challenge for the most able children in Reception, so that more achieve standards that are above expectations
  • ensuring that teachers plan activities in mathematics that enable pupils to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills, with increasing accuracy and confidence
  • further developing pupils’ ability to use spelling rules and patterns accurately when writing, especially for lower-ability and middle-ability pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders are ambitious and have improved the quality of teaching and learning over time. Their thorough actions are developing a greater consistency of teaching across the school. However, there are still a few areas of the school where pupils’ progress is not yet good enough.
• The school has worked closely with the Diocese of Salisbury Trust since joining it in 2015. This work has enabled the school to make the improvements required.
• Leaders’ self-evaluation is accurate. Leaders know their school well and have robust plans that are improving pupils’ outcomes. For example, pupils’ achievement in writing is improving well. This is due to precise and appropriate work on grammar and purpose for writing.
• Leaders’ monitoring of teaching is ensuring that actions taken to improve pupils’ progress are having a positive impact, especially in English and mathematics. They adapt these plans, according to need, well. However, the school’s plans for improving spelling have not yet had sufficient impact on improving pupils’ spelling choices. The mathematics leader has improved the teaching of calculations. However, the curriculum in mathematics is not developing pupils’ problem-solving and reasoning activities as well and is still an area for development.
• Senior leaders have been successful in coaching middle leaders in all subjects. Consequently, middle leaders have improved their skills of monitoring, assessing and supporting teachers. As a result, most pupils’ outcomes have improved. Senior leaders are working across other schools within the academy trust to provide this coaching support for other middle leaders.
• Senior leaders have developed a culture of high expectations for pupils and staff. Leaders promote equality of opportunity for pupils within school. As a result, pupils participate well in aspects of learning and extra-curricular activities.
• Leaders and governors are proud of the school and ensure that everyone works closely as a team. Leaders have used professional development and training effectively to target reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, progress for current pupils in these subjects is rising. Leaders recognise that pupils’ outcomes, including attainment, at the end of key stage 2 still have to be improved further in all subjects.
• The school provides well for the high proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. The special educational needs leader has a good understanding of pupils’ needs and checks the in-class provision effectively. This contributes towards current pupils making good progress. They are well cared for socially and emotionally, as well as physically. Leaders provide an effective bespoke curriculum for those pupils who require additional support. Leaders have worked well with outside providers to ensure that pupils accessing alternative provision are making progress and are safe.
• Pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. Leaders have adapted the way funding is used for interventions to help disadvantaged pupils catch up with their peers. However, pupils who are disadvantaged and have SEN and/or disabilities are not making as much progress. Provision to improve pupils’ self-esteem and meet their social and emotional needs is having a positive impact on their attitudes to learning and attendance.
• Leaders use the sport premium effectively. Funding is used well to develop the provision for all pupils, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. This has increased pupils’ take up of, and involvement in, a range of physical activities, for example through the use of specialist coaches, various sporting competitions and extra-curricular activities. The school has been successful in ensuring that pupils have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles.
• Leaders ensure that an interesting curriculum makes effective links with to the local community. Pupils’ understanding of the world around them is developed through first-hand experiences, such as trips and residential visits. This enables them to have a better understanding of the learning taking place in the classroom.
• Leaders’ promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is a real strength of the school. Pupils are very aware of the school values and how to apply them to their own lives. There is a strong Christian ethos throughout the school to which the pupils respond very well.
• The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils talk confidently about democracy, respect and tolerance of each other. Pupils were keen to discuss the wide variety of displays around the school which celebrate their learning achievements.
• Parents are generally positive about the school. They feel their children are well cared for and the school is well led and managed. Parents praise the manner in which staff manage their children’s needs well.
• Leaders monitor pupils’ attendance well. Leaders are taking the right steps to decrease persistent absence, especially for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Leaders have worked with the local authority and providers to ensure that particular pupils benefit from being in the correct setting for their needs.

Governance of the school

• Governors are very committed to the school and support leaders well. They make monitoring visits to the school regularly. Governors meet with school leaders frequently to discuss improvement plans, pupils’ progress, look at books and visit classes. Governors undertake relevant training and have a good understanding of their own skills and expertise that will aid the school to move forward. The local governing board is well supported and works well with the trust board to ensure consistency.
• Governors have a thorough understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement of the school. Leaders provide them with pertinent and relevant information to enable them to check progress on actions specified in the school’s improvement plans. As a result, governors are able to monitor the work of leaders effectively.
• Governors hold leaders to account and ask challenging questions regarding the quality of teaching and learning and pupils’ progress and outcomes. They have an accurate picture of the current attainment and progress of all groups of pupils across the school, particularly those who are disadvantaged and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Governors exercise effective oversight of pupil premium funding, additional funding for SEN provision and the primary school physical education and sport premium. As a result, pupils’ needs are catered for well.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school’s systems are well established and enable leaders to ensure that pupils are safe. There is a vigilant culture of safeguarding and all leaders, staff and governors regard making sure that pupils are happy and safe in school as a high priority. Leaders have positive relationships with outside agencies and have sought further support to provide pupils with additional support when it has been required.
• Staff are well trained and knowledgeable regarding their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe from harm. Staff are clear in their understanding of the practices within school that keep pupils safe. They take their responsibilities seriously and are clear how they can escalate referrals if needed. Leaders have ensured that all staff and governors have regular, updated training including an awareness of the risks of radicalisation and extremism.
• Thorough teaching of safety in the curriculum ensures that pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe online and know what they would do if they were concerned about something. Pupils could positively identify adults in school who provide this support. They are appreciative of these adults and how they ‘look after’ them to ensure they are safe and happy.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have good subject knowledge and have high expectations of the pupils. They plan and deliver lessons to build well on prior learning and increase pupils’ skills and understanding. Consequently, more pupils are on track to achieve expected standards for their age at the end of the year.
• Consistent and effective whole-school teaching approaches provide pupils with a good-quality education. Pupils know what is expected of them and they enjoy learning.
• Teachers deploy teaching assistants effectively to provide additional support to those pupils who need it. Both teachers and teaching assistants use questioning skilfully to extend pupils’ thinking as well as maintaining pupils’ focus on learning activities. Pupils generally use feedback well to help them to improve and edit their work. This is mainly focused on grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• The assessment system used by leaders and teachers to check pupils’ progress is accurate. This helps to identify and target pupils who may be at risk of underachieving. Leaders are able to plan timely interventions and accelerate pupils’ progress.
• Pupils read often, both in school and at home. Pupils report that they enjoy reading for pleasure and are developing the range of texts they read. Although pupils are able to answer questions of a literal nature, they find questions of interpretation more challenging. The school is now teaching pupils these skills more specifically and progress can be seen, especially in upper key stage 2.
• Teaching of writing has undergone appropriate changes and improvements. Activities focus on ensuring that pupils have a good understanding of grammatical features of writing, sentence construction, punctuation and the purpose for writing. Teachers provide the structure through oral rehearsal of writing, which the pupils enjoy. As a result, pupils are able to apply these skills to their writing and are making stronger progress. However, the school has only recently introduced a new system to improve pupils’ spelling. This is not yet taking full effect as pupils are not consistently choosing the correct spelling patterns, especially the lower-ability and middle-ability pupils.
• Phonics is taught well in Year 1. Pupils are able to decode and segment words using their phonic skills. However, the lower-ability pupils are not confident in applying these skills to their reading. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the national phonics screening check is increasing and current pupils are on track to be at least in line with the national average.
• Mathematics teaching has rightly focused on improving the pupils’ understanding of both mental and written methods of calculations. Leaders have introduced teaching strategies and methods to ensure that pupils have an understanding of standard written methods of arithmetic. In spite of this, pupils across the school are not, as yet, able to apply these skills in problem-solving and reasoning activities. Pupils lack the precise mathematical language to explain themselves or prove that mathematical hypotheses are correct.
• Teachers are using assessments to adapt and amend lessons to meet the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils. As a result, these pupils are making good progress from their starting points.
• The curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world around them very well. This provides the pupils with a good understanding of life in Britain and beyond. Pupils transfer their key skills from English into their written work. Pupils enjoy the visits they go on to museums, the theatre and outdoors.
• Teachers set regular homework. Pupils state that they receive homework linked to the aspects in mathematics, reading and spellings covered in class. They enjoy the ‘projects’ that are linked to their topic learning, which include design and technology, cooking and presentations.
• Examples of pupils’ high-quality work on display set the tone for the vibrant learning environment in classrooms and around school. Other useful displays, with learning prompts, are used well to enhance pupils’ learning further.
• Good relationships between teachers and pupils are evident across the school. This results in high levels of engagement and a shared purpose and a belief that everyone can achieve.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.

• The relationships between adults and pupils are strong, which contributes to pupils’ enjoyment of school. Pupils say that their teachers are caring and always take time to help them in their learning. Pupils undertake a variety of roles within school, such as school council representatives. Leaders aid their involvement in working to improve the school through learning walks and raising funds for the school and charity.
• Staff are skilled in addressing pupils’ personal and emotional needs. They know pupils well and respond sensitively and appropriately to support pupils’ specific needs, especially those pupils who are disadvantaged or pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Pupils therefore respond well to adults in school and demonstrate appreciation of this assistance.
• Pupils feel safe and secure in school. Pupils of all ages have a good understanding of the potential risks when using the internet and use it safely and with confidence. For example, they know the importance of protecting their personal information and know not to agree to meet someone in person whom they have met online. They are clear that they must tell an adult if something makes them feel uncomfortable.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.

• Pupils are proud of their school. They take pride in their work and show positive attitudes to learning. Pupils have a good understanding from the feedback they receive and their individual targets to improve their work. They are aware of the school’s values and talk about how they apply these within their own lives. The school celebrates hard work and good manners.
• Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. They are polite and courteous to adults and work and play co-operatively with each other. One pupil reported, ‘I like it in school because it’s like one big happy family with lots of brothers and sisters.’
• Leaders ensure that appropriate systems are in place to support and deal effectively with incidents of poor behaviour. High expectations from staff have a positive impact on the way that pupils behave. Pupils have a clear understanding of the school rules, the rewards and consequences of not demonstrating good behaviour. Pupils reported that staff react quickly to ensure all behave well.
• Just occasionally, some pupils do not sustain their attention. This is because some teachers do not recognise quickly enough that pupils are ready to move on to more challenging activities.
• Attendance is now in line with the national average. Leaders work effectively to engage families and improve rates of attendance, particularly for those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils who have in the past been persistently absent. Persistent absence has been managed well with pupils who access specialist and alternative provision.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Over time, children in early years generally achieve as well as all children nationally, as do pupils at the end of key stage 1. At the end of key stage 2, pupils’ progress was extremely strong in 2017, especially in writing. Conversely, attainment and progress in reading, grammar, punctuation and spelling, and mathematics is not as high as it is in writing.

• Attainment in key stage 1 is in line with the national average. This standard is also reflected in the work currently seen in pupils’ books. They are working within age-appropriate expectations and have been well prepared to move onto the next stage of their learning. Scrutiny of pupils’ books, including those of pupils who are disadvantaged, alongside the school’s assessment information, shows that the vast majority of pupils currently on roll make good progress.
• Progress for current pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and for those pupils who are disadvantaged is stronger than the published data. This is as a result of focused and pertinent support provided by leaders and teachers. Pupils who fall into both of these groups are provided with bespoke learning to aid their progress.
• Pupils in Year 6 are currently attaining standards that are in line with the 2017 attainment for all pupils nationally. The attainment and progress of some groups of pupils need to improve further. Leaders are aware of this and implement support for these pupils.
• Current pupils’ achievement in reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling is improving. Pupils are clear about how to include these aspects in their writing. However, for lower-ability and middle-ability pupils spelling remains an area of weakness. The school has implemented a scheme to address this but the impact for these pupils is yet to be fully seen.
• Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is improving. Progress is not yet consistent across all year groups and some most-able pupils are not yet fully reaching the standards of which they are capable. The school recognises this and has development plans to increase the application of calculation skills in problem-solving and reasoning.
• Good phonics teaching in Year 1 equips pupils to learn new sounds and read tricky words. However, lower-ability pupils find blending sounds together more challenging. The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 was below the national average in 2016 and 2017. The proportion of pupils on track to achieve the expected standard in 2018 is higher and in line with the 2017 national average.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership in the early years is strong. The leader has an accurate view of the strengths and areas for improvement and has an appropriate action plan. She has identified relevant actions to improve teaching, learning and assessment, as well as outcomes.
• Staff plan activities to support children’s learning well. Staff have a clear understanding of the learning needed to ensure that children make good progress. However, at times teachers do not focus on transference of phonics skills into a wider range of opportunities to write.
• Outcomes in the early years are in line with national averages, especially in reading and writing. Current assessments, and scrutiny of children’s work, demonstrate that children continue to do well and are well prepared for Year 1.
• Teaching for the lower-ability children in the Reception class is effective. These children are given well-considered activities to extend their understanding. They are making strong progress. Conversely, the most able children do not reach the highest standards across all of the different areas of learning. They are not provided with activities which challenge their learning further.
• Children generally sustain their learning focus for long periods of time. They maintain positive learning attitudes and enjoy their time in school. As a result, they are making strong progress.
• Relationships are strong. Teachers and additional adults interact well with children and have fostered their personal and social development. As a result, children cooperate well with each other to develop positive behaviours. The children are confident and self-assured as well as being independent in their learning.
• Leaders and staff have formed strong and trusting relationships with parents, carers and families. The regular termly learning–sharing sessions for children and families are very successful and popular with parents. These enable parents and carers to share best practice in helping children to continue their learning at home.
• All safeguarding and welfare requirements meet statutory requirements. Staff are well qualified and have the necessary experience and expertise to deliver effective teaching and sustain improving outcomes for children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141987 Wiltshire 10048355 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 196 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Executive Headteacher Head of School Telephone number Website Email address Keith Clover Andrew Wilson Hannah Allender 01380 730203 www.trinityprimaryacademy.dsat.org.uk admin@trinityschooldevizes.dsat.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school is slightly smaller than the average primary school.
• The school is a sponsor-led academy. The school joined the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust in July 2015.
• The executive headteacher is also the leader of another school within the academy trust. The executive headteacher and the head of school aid the academy trust in a number of ways by working with other schools.
• The majority of pupils attending the school are of white British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who are in receipt of pupil premium funding is in line with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is in line with the national average. The number of pupils who have education, health and care plans is in line with the national average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed pupils’ learning across the school. All observations were undertaken alongside the executive headteacher and the head of school.
• The inspectors looked at pupils’ current work in books across the curriculum and carried out learning walks across the school.
• The inspectors listened to pupils read in Year 2 and Year 6 and spoke with them to find out about their attitudes to reading.
• Meetings were held with governors, middle leaders and pupils. The lead inspector talked with the academy improvement director and the chief executive officer of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust.
• The inspectors took account of 64 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and informal discussions with parents when they brought their children to school. The lead inspectors also took account of the online staff survey. The inspectors talked to pupils at break and lunchtime, as well as during lessons.
• The inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement plan, school policies, governors’ minutes of meetings and the school’s own assessment systems and monitoring records.
• The inspectors reviewed a wide range of safeguarding evidence, including the school’s single central record and behaviour and incident logs.

Inspection team

Paul Smith, lead inspector Debbie Marklove

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector