Holy Trinity CofE Secondary School, Crawley

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 November 2023

This highly inclusive school has a strong sense of community. One member of staff described it as a 'culture of fellowship'. Pupils like and trust their teachers. They know their teachers expect the best from them. Relationships are very positive because staff take the time to get to know their pupils well. Pupils feel safe and cared for. Staff and pupils recognise the recent improvement in pupils' behaviour overall. This is helping pupils to learn more effectively. Pupils appreciate the clear behaviour rules and the rewards they receive for their efforts. In lessons, most pupils behave well. At breaktimes, pupils are respectful of each other and happily chat together. If bullying happens, most pupils are confident that it will be dealt with effectively by the staff, including the pastoral team. The school offers a wide range of activities to develop pupils' talents and interests. Pupils enjoy sports and arts clubs as well as some more unusual ones such as game board club and croquet club. Pupils greatly enjoy the 'cultural capital' days when the school organises visits and activities to help them experience the world around them. Sixth-form students are strong role models. They enjoy organising events and helping younger pupils with their reading.

What the school should improve

• Too few pupils in key stage 4 choose to study a modern foreign language. This means that the proportion of pupils gaining the EBacc is below the government ambition. Leaders should continue their efforts to increase the uptake of languages to support pupils in studying an ambitious curriculum.
• The quality of education is not yet securely and consistently embedded across all subjects. This means that pupils' achievement is not as high as it should be. The school should ensure that teachers consistently apply their training and development to help pupils achieve well.
• The school does not consistently check the impact of actions to improve key aspects of the school, such as reading. Consequently, many strategies are not always improving pupils' achievement as intended. The school should further consider the impact of its work in strengthening how well pupils learn and achieve.

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