Durham Trinity School & Sports College

Overview

Durham Trinity School & Sports College has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” The report describes a “welcoming and inclusive school” where pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are valued as individuals and thrive. Leaders have revised the curriculum carefully, ensuring it remains ambitious and well-suited to pupils’ diverse needs.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is “excellent,” supported by a “strong ethos of respect” and highly skilled staff who help pupils manage their emotions.
• The school identifies SEND needs with “precision,” placing outcomes from education, health and care (EHC) plans at the heart of individualised learning.
• Staff are “highly adept at adapting learning,” using small-group and one-to-one support to help pupils achieve their targets.
• There is a “consistently effective approach” to teaching phonics and reading, fostering a “love of reading” through sensory stories and matched books.
• Governors provide “secure and effective oversight,” while staff appreciate support for their training, workload, and welfare.

Areas to improve

• Some pupils at the early stages of learning to write are “not consistently taught the skills they need to form neat, legible handwriting.”
• The school should ensure all staff understand how to support the development of pupils’ handwriting skills to prevent gaps in this area.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”