Victoria Road Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this caring and inclusive school. They have positive relationships with staff and each other. Pupils participate in lessons excitedly and develop a passion for learning.

They share their learning with adults enthusiastically. Teachers have high ambitions for pupils and meet them through hard work and resilience. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well and are well prepared for their next steps.

Pupils are happy and feel safe. They have a number of trusted adults who they know will address any concerns they have. Pupils understand the school's values of fairness, honesty, enjoyment,... respect and courage.

They demonstrate these through their excellent conduct and courteous behaviour. Pupils volunteer for a range of responsibilities. For example, Year 6 pupils welcome prospective parents on school tours.

Older pupils act as strong role models for other pupils.

Pupils are active members of the local community. They take part in litter picking and recycling projects to improve the school environment, raising money for a number of local and national charities through annual events.

They also sing for the residents of local care homes at Christmas. Pupils are keen to act as ambassadors for the school.

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

The school has a culture of high expectations.

The well-designed curriculum is broad and ambitious. Pupils learn important skills and knowledge in a logical sequence of lessons. They revisit prior learning and deepen their understanding over time.

For example, pupils in Year 1 order historical events in a timeline and by Year 6 they also assess the impact of each event.

Staff know pupils well and identify the needs of those with SEND accurately. Teachers use this to plan adaptations to the curriculum, and this ensures that most pupils with SEND achieve very well.

However, the amended curriculum that a small number of pupils with SEND learn is not designed carefully enough. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

Teachers explain learning clearly and use subject vocabulary well.

Pupils are enthused by teachers' activities. However, teachers do not always design activities that support pupils to learn the intended curriculum well enough. Leaders have addressed low outcomes in mathematics swiftly.

Pupils now have ample opportunities to develop their reasoning and problem-solving. They read and write at age-appropriate levels and are well prepared for their next steps.

In most subjects, teachers check pupils' understanding carefully.

They use this to plan support that helps pupils catch up and keep up with learning. Leaders have clearly identified end points for all subjects. They have begun to identify the steps of learning in a number of subjects to make assessment even more effective.

Pupils are fluent and confident readers. Reading starts in Reception Year, where highly trained staff teach phonics well. Pupils with English as an additional language receive high-quality support.

As a result, they learn the sounds and letters they need alongside their peers. Teachers identify pupils who are not keeping up accurately. They catch up quickly due to swift intervention.

Pupils enjoy diving into books and have frequent opportunities to read to adults.

The school is calm and purposeful. From Reception onwards, pupils have exceptionally positive attitudes to learning.

They concentrate deeply and listen intently to teachers. Pupils play happily together and include everyone in their games. Teachers model expectations very clearly and pupils meet them.

Leaders carefully analyse pupils' attendance. They support families well and improve attendance as a result. Pupils attend frequently.

Leaders have designed a rich range of activities to enrich pupils' wider development. All pupils visit art galleries and historical sites to enhance their learning. They learn how to stay safe online and in their local community.

Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to develop their skills and talents. They enjoy a broad offer of clubs and activities. Pupils have ample opportunities to share their interests.

They represent the school in a variety of sports and perform in local venues.

Parents are very positive about the school. They feel that pupils benefit from the exciting opportunities the school offers.

Parents of pupils with SEND feel that pupils are well supported and thrive as a result. Staff are proud to work at Victoria Road. They enjoy high-quality training that helps them to improve their practice.

Staff feel well supported by leaders. Governors share leaders' high ambitions and hold them to account well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, teachers' activities do not deliver the ambitious curriculum well enough. As a result, pupils do not always deepen their learning as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that the activities that teachers design deepen pupils' learning consistently well across all subjects.

• The curriculum for a small number of pupils with SEND is not designed clearly enough. As a result, these pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders must ensure that all pupils with SEND learn the breadth of the school's ambitious curriculum with appropriate support and adaptations.