Queen Victoria Primary School

Queen Victoria Primary School Bilston Street, Sedgley, Dudley, DY3 1JB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress across the school and so achieve well.  Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 is now above the national average for primary schools.  Teaching is consistently good with some outstanding practice across the school.  Teachers and other adults are particularly skilled at asking questions that probe pupils’ thinking so that they develop their understanding of the tasks that they have been set.  The range of subjects and topics is highly effective in enabling pupils to reflect on their work and on the world around them, and to be responsible citizens.  Pupils’ behaviour is consistently of a high standard. They respect each other, feel very safe and continually demonstrate their love of their school and their learning.  Leaders, managers and governors have been effective in improving the quality of teaching. This has resulted in some rapid improvements,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

particularly in pupils’ achievements in reading and writing, since the previous inspection.  Parents value the support they receive from the school for individual children and their families.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all pupils’ securely understand basic calculation skills, which sometimes slows the way they tackle mathematical problems. As a result, their progress in mathematics is not as rapid as that in reading and writing.  Teachers’ oral and written feedback does not always clearly identify how pupils can improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors saw 25 members of staff teaching and working with the pupils in 25 lessons. They were accompanied by the headteacher, deputy headteacher or assistant headteacher to 12 of these lessons.  Meetings were held with members of staff, members of the governing body, the school’s improvement adviser and with pupils from Years 1 and 2 and from Years 4, 5 and 6. A telephone discussion was held with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors heard Year 2 pupils read.  Inspectors looked at the school’s development plans and monitoring files, the headteacher’s leadership files, the performance management arrangements and the summary of the work of the governing body. They also looked at the school’s records of pupils’ progress and work in pupils’ books.  The inspectors took account of the 17 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and held informal discussions with parents and carers at the start of the day and through a

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Inspection team

Jenny Batelen, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sally Ann Yates Additional Inspector Derek Barnes Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school with 18 classes.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a 65-place Nursery and the two Reception classes.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportions supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are above average. These include pupils with complex learning needs, including speech and language difficulties.  Most pupils come from White British backgrounds, with a very small proportion from a range of other ethnic backgrounds. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is above average. (The pupil premium is extra money given to schools by the government to support, among others, pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.)

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has achieved the Leading Parent Partnership Award, Eco School silver award, National Standard for Enterprise, Go4It award, National Healthy Schools award and the silver ‘Include Me Too’ Disability award. The school is also an Arts Connect Hub School.  There is a Children’s Centre on site managed by the governing body and headteacher. The centre is subject to a separate inspection.  Pupils are educated onsite. There is no regular offsite provision.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure even more rapid and sustained progress in mathematics by improving pupils’ basic calculation skills so that they can solve problems more effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 All teachers should use oral and written feedback through marking consistently well across the school so that pupils always know exactly what they must do to improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the Nursery with skill levels that are well below those typical for their age, especially in social, communication, language and literacy skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of pupils, including the very small proportion from minority ethnic groups, make good progress throughout the school. Their progress in reading and writing is particularly rapid so that their attainment is above average in these skills by Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in mathematics is not as rapid. Some pupils take too long to complete problem-solving tasks because they have gaps in their understanding of basic calculation skills. As a result they have to spend too much time working out the basic mathematics before they can solve the problem.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are clearly identified and their needs assessed. Carefully planned activities and a range of support in class and in small groups ensure that they are able to make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils eligible for the pupil premium make good progress. The gap between their attainment and that of all pupils, nationally, is closing in English and mathematics. The extra funding is used well to provide additional adult support in the classroom, small-group activities and the purchase of information and communication technology (ICT) resources to develop pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills – and enthusiasm for learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils successfully gain skills and confidence in reading. The skilled teaching of phonics (sounds that letters make) throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 has been revised this year in order to more closely meet the pupils’ needs. The constant reference to the letters and sounds that they have learnt and how they have used these in their work ensure that pupils are developing good reading skills and linking these sounds to their writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ communication skills are developed at every opportunity. They are encouraged to speak clearly, use full sentences and listen carefully to each other. This gives good support to the very few pupils who speak English as an additional language and ensures they make good progress. All pupils are confident speakers and enjoy chatting to visitors and sharing their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers constantly check on how well pupils are achieving. This information enables teachers to plan a stimulating range of learning opportunities for all pupils to enable them to make good progress in their lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers work closely with skilled learning-support assistants to match work to the range of pupils’ different abilities in their classes. Consequently, pupils respond to learning with enthusiasm. For example, pupils in Year 3 were enthusiastic to identify the factors for various numbers through drawing bugs with antennae and legs to represent each pair of factors.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The vibrant and bright environment for learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage, both inside and outside, encourages independence and exploration. Children learn through a wide range of child-initiated and adult-led activities. For example, skilled teaching enabled children to make wooden Christmas decorations, using woodworking tools safely and wearing protective goggles. Outside children explored the texture and fun of mud as they ‘cooked’ in the ‘Mud Kitchen’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Oral and written feedback from staff does not always give pupils clear guidance about exactly how they can improve their work and so reach the next level. The marking of pupils’ work varies too much in the quality of the guidance given to help pupils understand how to improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are clear about what level they are working towards. They are helped by displays celebrating their work and highlighting the level of the work. They are encouraged to evaluate their own and each other’s work and decide how successful they have been.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ planning in mathematics has not previously had enough focus on ensuring pupils have good basic skills, such as knowing addition facts and multiplication tables. The increased focus on calculation has not yet had time to improve all pupils’ skills and it is too soon to evaluate the longer-term impact.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are skilled at making links across different subjects. Guided reading texts for Year 2 pupils about the night and being in the dark linked closely to their topic of ‘In the Woods’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The wide range of ICT equipment is used very effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding of their learning. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage use small hand held computers to scan the sounds they have learnt and then practise writing and saying the sound. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils are skilful at using an ‘app’ to record what they have learnt so that they can revisit and revise the learning at a later date.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have excellent subject knowledge. They are rigorous in ensuring that pupils understand the language specific to the subject studied and use it correctly. Year 4 pupils confidently used the language of fair testing as they explored the melting of ice cubes in their science lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Homework is exciting and supports learning in a range of subjects. Examples of work on the school website are valued by parents as they enable them to help their children more effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour is of a very high standard. They are very clear about what is expected of them and appreciate how the rewards and consequences help them to work and play very well together. They help each other by making nominations in the class ‘Brilliant Book’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Rigorous analysis of incidents for patterns and the provision of small-group work and a range of therapies help pupils manage their feelings. Consequently pupils who find this difficult are helped to get on very well with each other and the number of fixed-term exclusions has dropped to well below the national average with no permanent exclusions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning. They have highly positive attitudes, which mean that they listen carefully to their teachers and to each other and quickly settle to tasks.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils feel very safe in school and are helped to understand how to keep themselves safe. They have a thorough understanding of what constitutes bullying and say that bullying of any kind, including cyber-bullying, is rare. Pupils have an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves safe when using modern technologies. They are totally confident that if they have any concerns or worries the adults in school will always help them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school has focused on improving attendance since the previous inspection. As a result, this is now above the national average year on year. Parents comment how their children love to come to school, and this was reinforced by the pupils themselves who insisted that they ‘love school’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The inspiring leadership of the headteacher has enabled the school to make considerable progress since the previous inspection. She is extremely well supported by senior and middle leaders, who are determined to provide an excellent education for the pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership is extended to the pupils, themselves. Pupils exercise responsibility through the school council, the pupil-leadership group, reading ‘buddies’, tutoring younger pupils and a range of other responsibilities taken by pupils throughout the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The comprehensive system for tracking pupils’ attainment and progress ensures that no pupil is missed and all can be helped to do their best. This information is shared with individual teachers and regular reviews check on progress and the strategies used to support pupils’ learning and emotional needs. These findings ensure equality of opportunity for all pupils, regardless of their abilities and backgrounds, and that there is no discrimination against any individual or group so all achieve equally well.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders focus on improving teaching at an individual level. The process of setting targets for teachers allows them to focus on individual and whole-school priorities. This ensures that teachers’ pay and promotion are closely linked to the raising of pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders clearly identify what needs to improve in different subjects or to any weaknesses in teaching – such as marking. Weaknesses in pupils’ basic calculation skills have been identified and plans are in place to improve these, but it is too soon to evaluate the impact of these plans on pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The innovative, exciting and motivational range of subjects and topics provide rich experiences for all pupils. A wide range of visits, visitors and partnerships enhance their learning about a range of topics. Pupils spoke of how visits ‘help us with our ideas for writing’. Pupils are encouraged to follow their own ideas and interests and the many awards held by the school recognise their creativity and enterprise.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils are constantly encouraged to reflect on their work and to empathise with others, such as characters from stories and from history, and so learn to understand about the lives of others. This emphasis strongly supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are many opportunities for parents to be involved in the work of the school and to understand how their children are taught. For example, a helpful workshop explained how children learn the sounds that letters make.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority is currently providing support to the school in further improving phonics teaching. The school improvement adviser rigorously holds the leadership team to account in evaluating the work of the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has increased its understanding of the work of the school since the previous inspection. Governors are very knowledgeable and able to ask searching questions of the school’s leaders to find out how well pupils are doing. They are very clear about the priorities for further improvement and check the rate of improvement. They understand and carefully check the process of setting targets for teachers and make sure that increases in pay and promotion are justified by pupils’ progress and achievement. Governors are effective in ensuring that the school is in a good financial position. They make sure that extra funding through the pupil premium is used wisely to benefit pupils who are eligible for it, and check that they make good progress and access the full range of learning opportunities available. The governing body regularly checks and reviews policies, including those relating to

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The leadership and management are good

safeguarding, and ensures that staff are vetted and trained in order to keep pupils safe and free from harm. All safeguarding requirements are met.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 103826 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 404909

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 576 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Everson Headteacher Wendy Rawlinson Date of previous school inspection 11 November 2010 Telephone number 01384 812545 Fax number 01384 812546 Email address info@queen-vic.dudley.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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