Victory Primary School

Victory Primary School Victory Place, London, SE17 1PT

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well. They make good progress from low starting points to reach average standards in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  Teaching is good because teachers are keen to continually improve their practice. Senior leaders accurately identify what will help teachers improve and then provide highly effective support to ensure that happens.  Teachers accurately match activities to the needs of different learners so pupils make good progress in lessons.  Quality books are at the heart of the curriculum and this exposure to such engaging texts promotes a strong love of reading.  Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning. They are actively involved in lessons and think carefully about how to improve their own work.  The diverse nature of the school community is taken into account when planning what topics to study so that learning is really relevant to pupils’ life experiences.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The governors share the headteacher’s drive and ambition for the school and support her well in realising ambitious plans for development.  Pupils from a range of different groups make equally good progress because leaders think carefully about how to meet individual needs, consulting outside experts where appropriate.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding to ensure all pupils make rapid progress.  Although marking in pupils’ English books is exemplary, pupils do not always have sufficient time to respond to the comments teachers make in their mathematics books, and this hinders the progress they make.  Opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking and writing skills abound across the curriculum. However, pupils are not always supported to apply the same level of detail and precision in their spoken and written language in other subjects as they are in English.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons or parts of lessons, including the teaching of phonics (letter patterns and the sounds they represent) and guided reading. They saw all full-time teachers at least once.  Inspectors attended assemblies, listened to pupils read and held meetings with staff, pupils and representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  There were not enough responses from parents and carers to the online Parent View survey for inspectors to take them into account. Inspectors met with parents and carers informally at various points during the inspection, including as they dropped their children off in the morning.  Inspectors took account of the 14 questionnaires completed and submitted by staff.  The inspection team looked carefully at pupils’ work in lessons, as well as work they have completed over time in their books.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding, child

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Information about this inspection

protection, behaviour and attendance, checks on the quality of teaching, minutes of governing body meetings and information regarding pupils’ academic performance.

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Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Mason Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs supported through school action is broadly average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is higher than average.  Nearly two thirds of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding for children looked after by the local authority, entitled to free school meals or from service families), which is much higher than average. There are currently no children from service families on the school’s roll.  The school serves a diverse community and most pupils are from one of the 12 ethnic minority backgrounds represented in varying proportions. A high proportion speaks English as an additional language, some of whom are at the early stages of learning English.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There has been a significant change of staff since the previous inspection, including a new headteacher and deputy headteacher.  There is a large-scale regeneration project underway locally which has impacted on the school’s mobility figures as families are moved to other parts of the borough and elsewhere.  Far more pupils leave and join the school at times other than at the start of Nursery or Reception than is the case in most schools.  The school has a Children’s Centre on the premises managed by the governing body, which is subject to a separate inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching so that all pupils make rapid progress by:  ensuring pupils have time to respond to teachers’ comments in marking in mathematics as rigorously as they do in English  supporting pupils to use the same level of precision and detail in their speaking and writing in other subjects as they do in English.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skill levels well below those of typical three- and four-year-olds, particularly in speech and language, literacy and mathematics. Teachers in Nursery and Reception offer children a stimulating and rich environment and they quickly begin to make progress.  There have been big improvements in attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 in the last two years and it is now broadly average.  Despite lower starting points, pupils reach average standards in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6. The numbers reaching the higher standards are rising because senior leaders make increasingly effective checks on pupils’ progress to try and accelerate it.  Attainment across the school is rising faster than nationally because teachers plan carefully to meet pupils’ needs. For example, the school’s own figures show that the current Year 5, who

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The achievement of pupils is good

were over a term and half behind national attainment figures in English and mathematics when they left Year 2, have now made up all that lost ground and gained some.  Pupils make good gains in their phonics knowledge because the teaching of phonics has been well organised so that pupils are taught in small groups that match their level of understanding well. This ensures pupils become confident readers who are keen to read for life.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well because skilled teachers plan carefully for their needs and well-trained teaching assistants support them effectively in lessons.  Pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium achieve well because leaders make judicious use of the extra funding. Provision of specialist support and high-quality resources enables them to leave Key Stage 2 nearly two terms ahead of other groups in school in English

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The achievement of pupils is good

and mathematics. Across the school, the gaps have either been eradicated or are much smaller than nationally.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language make similarly good progress because there is a strong focus on building vocabulary and, in English lessons, teachers are very precise when explaining grammar rules.  Pupils from all different groups, including those who join the school part-way through their education, achieve equally well because the school is deeply committed to eliminating discrimination and ensuring all have equal opportunities to gain success.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because it ensures pupils from different starting points and different groups and ages within the school make equally good progress, not only in English and mathematics, but in other subjects as well.  Teachers assess pupils’ learning carefully so that they can build upon it in subsequent lessons. This means that those pupils who are ready to forge ahead are set tasks that will enable them to do so, while those that need further consolidation in a particular aspect have a chance to really grasp it before moving on.  Teachers continually check on pupils’ progress during lessons. They respond to individual pupils’ needs and bring the whole class together to clarify misconceptions and share successful pieces of work. This ensures all pupils make good gains in their learning.  Teachers’ explanations are really clear and they point out to pupils how new ideas link to previous learning that they are already confident with. For example, in an outstanding Year 6

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The quality of teaching is good

mathematics lesson, the teacher referred to how well pupils had read scales and graphs earlier in the week and used this to support pupils to move on to complex problems involving these skills. Pupils worked exceptionally well in this lesson because they knew what to draw upon to succeed in completing tasks that were carefully matched to their individual levels of understanding.  The way teachers mark pupils’ English books is highly effective. Teachers and pupils use comments to create an ongoing dialogue that pinpoints key areas for improvement and ensures pupils make exceptional progress against precise teaching points. Pupils are encouraged to be involved in evaluating the quality of their own work, supported by clear explanations as to what success in a given task looks like. While marking is good in mathematics, it does not drive the same high-quality dialogue as it does in English because pupils are not given sufficient time to

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The quality of teaching is good

respond to teachers’ comments and this limits progress from being more rapid.  Teachers place a great emphasis on developing pupils’ language skills. They not only expect pupils to use the specific technical vocabulary that is relevant to each subject but they explain clearly how those words work in sentences. However, they do not follow this through as well in other subjects as they do in English so opportunities are missed to ensure pupils are able to use language in a detailed and precise way. For example, in a mathematics lesson, pupils were asked to generate questions based on bar charts they had produced. While this was an excellent extension to their mathematical thinking, they did not have a secure enough grasp of how to phrase questions to prevent them becoming confused between ‘prefer x to y’ and ‘like x more than y’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They relish the regular opportunities they have to make choices about what would most help them achieve tasks. For example, pupils as young as seven were deciding whether they needed a template and what materials to use for best effect to create a textured look in a piece of art work.  Pupils are respectful and considerate towards each other and relationships between adults and pupils are strong because the school fosters good relationships. This courtesy can be seen very clearly in assembly when pupils are genuinely delighted for those who win acclaim for work or behaviour.  Behaviour is managed consistently well by staff. The new card system has been embraced by pupils, parents and carers alike because they can tell easily how well they have behaved on any given day. The system is closely checked and this shows that behaviour has improved over time

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and provides opportunities to celebrate consistently good behaviour.  The school has a range of specialists who work with pupils who have particular behavioural needs, and this has resulted in improvements for individuals and an enhanced learning environment for all.  Pupils know how to stay safe. Internet safety is high on the school’s agenda, and pupils understand not to talk to strangers and how to use equipment and appliances safely at home and at school. Parents and carers agree that their children are safe and happy to come to school.  Anti-bullying features strongly in the school’s personal and social education. Pupils are consequently very clear as to the ways in which bullying can manifest itself and know what to do should it happen. However, they say it is very rare because they all try hard to get on, follow ‘golden rules’ and stay on ‘green cards’ all day.  The school has a number of pupils with medical and social needs that have affected overall

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

attendance. However, specialist staff work well with parents and carers to ensure that other pupils attend regularly and that support is given to ensure any absences do not result in progress slowing. The last published figures for attendance show that, although it was low, it was improving for pupils who had extended periods of absence.  Behaviour is not outstanding as not all pupils are yet able to maintain the same level of exemplary behaviour in the absence of their teachers’ guidance, such as, for example, when being interviewed by visitors to the school. A few pupils, during an interview with an inspector, expressed the view that there is some rough behaviour in the playground. However, this is not borne out by the views of most other pupils, nor by records, which are well kept and thorough, and pupils were witnessed playing well together during the inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and her leadership team, including governors, are highly ambitious for the school and plan effectively to secure ongoing improvements towards their goals. They have an accurate and realistic view of the school’s strengths and understand what they have to do to move the school forward.  The headteacher has implemented rigorous systems to check the quality of teaching and this means all teachers know what the school’s expectations are and how to improve their own practice. This has shifted teaching so that pupils make good progress overall. However, it is too recent to have ensured that all pupils make rapid progress.  Leaders of different subjects are excited about recent training opportunities they have had. They are already putting their new skills into practice to continue to improve the quality of teaching in their subjects. Once again, however, these have yet to impact on raising achievement and the

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The leadership and management are good

quality of teaching still further.  The curriculum is well thought out. Every topic has an ‘entry point’, something memorable to ignite pupils’ interest, and trips are a key part of bringing learning to life and making it engaging and relevant. These measures deepen pupils’ understanding and support the development of reading, writing, communication and mathematical skills in a real and purposeful way.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is especially well promoted. Many of the key books that link closely to topics have deep, ethical or moral themes and these are well debated. The diversity of the school community is well used to introduce pupils to a range of cultures, to celebrate their individual backgrounds and to develop an understanding of their place in the United Kingdom and the wider world.  Leaders have thought carefully about how to use the sports funding to make the biggest impact

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The leadership and management are good

possible upon their pupils. They will be largely using it to provide on-the-job training to teachers in specific elements of physical education that were picked up as relatively weaker in a recent audit.  The local authority supports this good and improving school well, for example, advising on attendance issues and supporting with designing programmes for pupils with complex special needs.  The governance of the school:  Governors take every available opportunity to ensure they receive the best training possible to fulfil their duties. For example, detailed training on how to analyse information about pupils’ academic performance ensures they are well placed to ask challenging questions of school leaders. Governors regularly measure how their school fares against other schools both locally and nationally and use this as an impetus to drive improvement. They know that teachers are set demanding targets which, if met, will ensure progress continues to improve. They are clear

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The leadership and management are good

that, where targets are not met, teachers will not move up the pay scale and will need to be supported to make rapid improvements in their practice. Governors fully support measures to ensure the quality of teaching rises further still. For example, they agreed not to allocate the deputy head a class this year so that he can be instrumental in supporting teachers to improve the quality of their teaching. Governors keep a tight handle on spending by, for example, checking that the pupil premium funding elicits high rates of progress. They ensure that pupils are kept safe by ensuring effective safeguarding procedures are in place.

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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 100815 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 425647

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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 200 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair George Ogbona Headteacher Makeda Williams-Pinnock Date of previous school inspection 10–11 March 2011 Telephone number 020 7703 5722 Fax number 020 7252 7363 Email address office@victory.southwark.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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