Victoria Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a positive influence at the heart of the community. With pupils of 33 different languages, there is a warm welcome for all. Diversity is celebrated.

Parents and carers value the caring support the school provides to their families.

The school is ambitious for all. Its quality of education is not reflected in published results.

Many pupils, some new to English, arrive at different points of the school year. Some do not have long to get to grips with the curriculum before taking national tests. The school settles pupils quickly.

Pupils achieve well from a range of starting points.

The personal development and well-being support ...for pupils is exemplary. Pupils thrive because of the wealth of high-quality enrichment experiences that the school provides.

The school instils the ethos that everyone is a leader and a learner. It empowers pupils to have a voice. Pupils are happy and safe.

The school's motto 'work hard, be kind' is understood and acted on by pupils. The school's harmonious ethos creates a positive culture where mutual respect is championed and lived by pupils. The consistent approach to behaviour ensures that pupils make positive choices.

Relationships are caring.

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

The school has considered carefully the vital knowledge within the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum that pupils must know. This is complemented by an exceptional range of valuable assemblies for pupils.

Pupils have a comprehensive understanding of life in modern Britain. Their knowledge of discrimination and equality is impressive.

Pupils are proud of the positive impact they have, as pupil leaders, on the well-being of their peers.

For instance, language ambassadors welcome new pupils with translation support. 'Maths magicians' help peers with mathematics. The school council monitors school activities with leaders.

The school provides many experiences and interests for pupils they have not experienced before. For instance, they take part in chess, origami, programming robots, engineering and baking to name a few.

The curriculum is well sequenced, beginning in the early years.

The knowledge that pupils must learn is specified clearly. The curriculum provides frequent revision of this knowledge. Vocabulary is a core element.

Staff promote new vocabulary and oracy at every opportunity. Mathematics is taught well, with firm foundations for number built in the early years. Through discussion, pupils can recall their knowledge across a range of subjects.

However, pupils do not always communicate their understanding through written opportunities well enough.

The school ensures that staff have strong subject knowledge. Staff explain and repeat important information skilfully so that pupils rehearse and practise new knowledge repeatedly.

They ask relevant questions for pupils to explain and deepen their thinking.Staff check what pupils understand, but sometimes staff do not then provide the best next steps for pupils to move learning on or deepen their understanding. This includes some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The school identifies and meets the needs of pupils with SEND, however, on occasions, their next steps are not always as clearly identified as they should be.

The curriculum for reading begins well with early language and phonics in the early years. Staff teach phonics effectively.

They follow set routines and pupils respond well to these. Staff ensure effective practice of new sounds and words. They ensure that pupils understand new vocabulary.

Reading books are matched accurately to the phonic sounds that pupils understand. The school ensures that those who struggle to grasp phonics and reading get effective support to catch up with their peers. This includes those new to the school, or new to learning English, and pupils with SEND.

Staff ensure pupils concentrate diligently on their learning. Pupils apply themselves to listening carefully. They are sociable and courteous to their peers at less structured times of the day.

The school has effective systems to manage attendance well, with evident improvements in pupils' attendance and timekeeping. However, there are some pupils who miss too much of the school's good education.

Leaders have made many improvements since the previous inspection, particularly to the personal development of pupils.

The development of subject leader expertise has ensured that responsibilities are now shared more effectively. Professional development has supported this and continues. Leaders are mindful of staff's workload and give this careful consideration.

Many staff appreciate the support they get. Governance is effective. Governors and trustees understand the school and their statutory duties.

The school's engagement with parents is a noteworthy contribution to the wider community. Parents greatly value the opportunities to celebrate religious and cultural events with their children in school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not provide sufficient opportunity for pupils to communicate their written understanding across a range of subjects. This means pupils do not consistently develop the necessary writing skills, leading to automaticity and accuracy. The school should ensure that the curriculum implementation provides sufficient opportunity for pupils to write well for a range of purposes and so improve the quality, accuracy and standards of their written communications.

• Occasionally, teachers do not use their assessment well enough to address gaps in pupils' knowledge and provide suitable next steps for their learning. This means that sometimes pupils do not have the most appropriate tasks or responses from staff to help move learning on or support them in building on prior knowledge. The school should support staff with strategies to check and respond to pupils' needs so that pupils have opportunities that align with their needs to achieve as well as they could.

• Some pupils are absent from school too frequently. This means that they miss too much of the school's high-quality education. The school should ensure that pupils attend school regularly so they do not develop significant gaps in their knowledge from missed learning time.