Vigo Village School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

From their start in the early years, children are well known by staff at this school. Parents, pupils and staff comment on how much they value this and the 'family feel' of the school.

Staff draw on their knowledge of pupils to provide them with support and extra help where they need it. Pupils are friendly, kind and courteous towards each other and adults.

The school has high expectations for pupils to be ready for the next stage of their education and for life beyond school.

Pupils achieve well.

The school provides a range of experiences to broaden children's horizons. Enrichment clubs such as dodgeball, British Sign Language club and choir motivat...e pupils to come to school and teach them new skills.

Memorable experiences build pupils' confidence through team building and outdoor adventurous experiences. A local residential stay in Year 4 prepares pupils for a longer stay in the Isle of Wight in Year 6. Pupils are very positive about these experiences, which one pupil, representing the views of many, said was the 'best day of my life'.

Pupils take up responsibility, including Year 6 play leaders, who take it in turns to lead games in the infants' playground.

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

The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum. Teachers design meaningful work to support pupils' understanding and bring the curriculum to life.

For instance, pupils in Year 1 use the school's wildlife cameras to record the behaviour of foxes and badgers in their habitat. This develops their scientific knowledge of how to observe something over time. Carefully sequenced curriculum content helps to build pupils' knowledge well.

For example, pupils in Year 5 observe changes in humans over their lifetime. Building on this, Year 6 pupils record observations of evolution over time.

Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to present information clearly.

In the early years, staff support children to make plans for their play. This gives children the confidence to try new things and to talk about what they know, understand and can do. Staff check that pupils have understood key information.

Teachers ensure that pupils practise important prior knowledge in increasingly complex ways. For instance, Year 3 pupils use plastic needles and a simple stitch to practise joining pieces of fabric together in design technology. Year 4 pupils refine their technique using metal needles and more complex stitches.

On occasion, the approaches that staff use are less successful in supporting pupils to learn the key ideas in the curriculum. Sometimes, staff do not check pupils' understanding thoroughly. In other instances, information is presented in unclear ways.

This means that occasionally some pupils do not fully understand what teachers want them to know.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is highly effective. From the early years, staff take great care to understand children's needs in detail.

The school makes effective plans to meet pupils' needs with resources, adaptations and teaching. Staff follow these plans and review them regularly.The school ensures that pupils read widely and often.

Pupils enjoy quality stories and poems. They can identify what makes poems and other texts interesting. This builds their confidence in reading and knowledge about different types of literature.

Pupils at the early stages of reading quickly recognise letters and the sounds they make. Pupils regularly practise reading using books which contain the sounds they know. Support for pupils who fall behind focuses well on closing any gaps in their understanding.

This helps them to catch up.

The school has established high expectations through common routines. Pupils listen well to class discussions and respond well to teachers' requests.

However, at times pupils are unclear about the school's expectations of them when completing work set by the teacher. As a result, a small minority of pupils occasionally lose focus when they are asked to work independently. Pupils typically attend well.

The school supports and encourages improvements in attendance where needed.

Pupils are taught how to stay healthy and safe, including within relationships and online. The school promotes a wide range of cultures, backgrounds and beliefs.

For example, pupils visit places of worship, including a visit to learn how the people at a Gurdwara support their local community. Pupils develop a good understanding of modern British values, such as tolerance and respect.

Leaders and governors are ambitious for pupils in this school to have a strong education and memorable experiences.

Staff express that they feel valued, well supported and well trained. Leaders show great consideration for their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is some variability in the delivery of the curriculum. As a result, pupils sometimes learn content less securely than the school intends. The school should gather information about how effectively the curriculum is delivered and support staff to implement the curriculum so that pupils learn consistently well.

• A few pupils occasionally lack concentration during lessons, and they do not focus on completing the work they are set by teachers. This means that pupils sometimes miss out on opportunities to deepen and apply their learning. The school should ensure that pupils are supported to study effectively and follow the behaviour expectations, including when working independently.