Edlington Victoria Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Trustees and governors speak passionately about improving this school.

Leaders share their determination to make sure that all pupils get a good education. Their hard work is paying off. Year 6 pupils achieved results in 2019 that were above the national average.

The government noticed how much the school has improved. Government officials wrote to leaders to congratulate them.

Leaders realise that pupils' happiness and welfare are just as important as results.

They have appointed extra staff to make sure that pupils are safe. Pupils know that all adults in school care about them. Adults are gentle when they speak to pupils.

No one shouts. T...here is a 'pupil parliament' and some 'mini-police' who try to make the school even better. Leaders listen to their ideas.

There is hardly any bullying. If this does happen, leaders sort it out quickly. Pupils behave very well in lessons and in corridors.

They are polite and well mannered. Pupils do not always behave as well when they are on the playground at lunchtime. Leaders have bought some new playground equipment to help pupils find things to do that they will enjoy.

Pupils like this and they think it is helping.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children are happy and settled in the early years. Staff build on children's interests to help them learn.

For example, when children asked where the sleet had gone, adults explained. Then they filled the water tray with ice so that children could play with it and notice it melting.

Some children need extra help with their speaking skills.

Leaders identified that some children were not making as much progress as they should in phonics. Some staff were teaching phonics too slowly because of children's difficulties with speech and language. Leaders know that all children can learn new sounds and the letters that they represent.

Leaders have asked early years staff to move more quickly through the phonics programme.

Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning. Teachers' expectations are consistently high.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) knows each pupil well. Parents of pupils with SEND are very pleased with the extra help that leaders provide.

Leaders have very recently introduced a new curriculum. In some subjects, pupils can talk about what they are learning this term, but they cannot remember what they have learned previously. Teachers are planning to remind pupils of the most important content in each subject more often.

This will help pupils know more and remember more over time. Inspectors are confident that leaders will make sure that their new curriculum plan is implemented fully. Governors are already checking that this is happening quickly enough.

Leaders are much further forward with their curriculum for the teaching of reading. This is fully embedded. Leaders introduced a new reading curriculum in September 2018.

Leaders identified where pupils were struggling and they helped pupils with these specific difficulties. Teachers have excellent subject knowledge in English. They teach pupils different strategies to help them work out what words mean.

Leaders have refined the fluency aspect of the reading curriculum. Struggling readers in key stage 2 are catching up quickly. These pupils love reading now.

They can read with confidence and fluency. They understand what they have read and can infer meaning from the text. Leaders have refurbished the libraries so that they are calm and relaxing places to enjoy reading quietly.

In key stage 1, teachers had to backtrack because all pupils did not enter well-prepared for Year 1. Pupils are working hard to catch up now. Leaders have ensured that pupils' reading books are well matched to their phonics knowledge.

Pupils with SEND love reading regularly to volunteers, especially one who has a 'reading dog'. Pupils are allowed to pat him gently when they have finished reading.

Leaders use additional sport premium funding wisely.

The number of Year 6 pupils who can swim as well as they should for their age has doubled in the last two years. Leaders encourage pupils to develop healthy and active lifestyles. They ensure that pupils have equality of access by subsidising participation in after-school clubs.

Pupils have a good understanding of other cultures. They respect other people. Leaders are successfully developing pupils' character.

Regular visits from the police are helping pupils to understand about the rule of law, and their rights and responsibilities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding.

The new leader for safeguarding was appointed at the start of this term. Leaders have arranged a lengthy handover with the previous postholder. Leaders are making sure that information is being shared appropriately between them.

This helps to ensure that extra support for vulnerable children and families is seamless.

Leaders work closely with other professionals, such as South Yorkshire Police and the school nurse, to help pupils learn about keeping themselves safe in the community.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Teachers do not expect children in Nursery and Reception Years to move through the phonics programme at the necessary pace. Leaders should ensure that teachers' expectations are consistently high across the early years. Leaders should ensure that teachers follow the phonics programme briskly and check to make sure that pupils are meeting the milestones set for their age, at each stage of the phonics programme.

This will ensure that children can read as well as they should when they leave Reception and are well prepared for Year 1. . Leaders did not previously ensure that the wider curriculum was sequenced well enough to help pupils remember important ideas and concepts.

They have planned the new curriculum more carefully to make sure that the most important content is covered and revisited. Leaders should continue to embed the new curriculum and improve teachers' subject knowledge across the wider curriculum. Ofsted's transition arrangements were used on this inspection to confirm that pupils benefit from a good quality of education.