Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy

Inspection of a good school: Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy Victoria Park Road, Hackney, London E9 7HD

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2021

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Outcome

Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if the inspectors were to carry out a section 5 inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff at this school are highly ambitious for their pupils. They are determined that all will achieve highly, regardless of background or starting point. Learning is carefully organised, and expectations for behaviour are very high.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are typically proud of the school’s aspirational ethos. They know that leaders’ high standards, including for behaviour, mean that they can learn without distraction. Pupils also appreciate that leaders and staff challenge them to pursue ambitious goals for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from teachers’ subject expertise and from a broad and deep curriculum. Staff focus on making sure that all pupils learn and remember key knowledge and ideas. Leaders and staff also prioritise reading and ensuring that pupils are confident communicators.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers pupils a wide range of opportunities. For example, in Years 7 to 9, leaders have developed the ‘Bourne Scholar’ programme. This aims to extend pupils’ learning further. There are also a wide range of sports, music and academic sessions during and outside the school day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils reported that they usually get on well with their peers. Poor behaviour is rare, and so is bullying. Pupils are confident that bullying will be dealt with effectively if it does occur. This was reflected in leaders’ clear systems for responding to bullying.

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

Leaders have considered the needs of pupils carefully in designing their programmes of learning. Pupils make strong progress through the curriculum. They know more and remember more as they progress from one year group to the next. 19 and 20 October 2021

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Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is as broad and ambitious as the national curriculum. One example of this is the history curriculum. Pupils learn to recount and recall previous learning in detail. They form and compare interpretations of historical events using their strong subject knowledge. The depth of pupils’ learning means that they have a strong basis from which to select their GCSE subjects.

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Leaders and staff focus on making sure that pupils are fully ready for the next stage of their learning. They plan work so that pupils can prepare and research subject content that they will study in class. Teachers set quick tasks which require pupils to recall what they have previously learned. This helps pupils to secure their understanding and apply it to their current learning.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn the same ambitious curriculum. They are taught by staff who know their needs thoroughly. When pupils need it, they benefit from additional small-group support to help them develop their knowledge in each subject. This reflects leaders’ expectation that all pupils will achieve well.

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Leaders provide a wide range of enrichment opportunities for all pupils. For example, all Year 8 pupils take part in a debating event designed to build their confidence in communicating. In form time and assemblies, pupils learn about the wider world, including a range of topical issues. This helps to develop pupils’ awareness of how to manage risk and stay safe. Pupils also learn to understand and respect different views and identities. Careers education is well planned. It supports pupils effectively with key choices they need to make about their future education, training and employment.

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Leaders are keen to extend the way they involve pupils in decisions about school life. For example, there has just been a consultation to rename the form groups. Pupils appreciated that leaders acted on their suggestions in the new names chosen.

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Leaders’ policies and procedures have pupils’ well-being at their core. Leaders have identified that some pupils, parents and carers do not feel confident approaching staff about concerns or queries. Leaders are taking effective action to address this. For example, they are raising the profile of support available to pupils in school. Leaders are also strengthening communication with parents, so that all are reassured about the pastoral care and guidance on offer. This includes a ‘drop-in’ surgery, which offers a forum for parents to raise specific concerns as well as ask questions about the school’s wider work.

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Leaders and trustees maintain very high standards and aspirations for their staff and pupils. Staff benefit from a range of training and support for their well-being, which they value. 19 and 20 October 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff know pupils well. They are aware of pupils’ individual needs, and have effective systems to support those who need extra help. This support is both rigorous and comprehensive.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to report concerns. Leaders continually review procedures so that all pupils can feel fully confident to ask for help. For instance, the recently introduced ‘I need a chat’ box gives pupils another route to raise concerns should they feel reluctant to speak in person.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about the risks they may face outside of school, such as knife crime, and also how to stay safe online. Leaders adapt the curriculum to ensure that information pupils receive on staying safe is relevant.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some parents who responded to Ofsted’s survey feel that leaders could do more to keep them informed and involve them in school life. Leaders have already taken steps to further improve the way they work in partnership with parents. Leaders need to build on this existing work and ensure that it remains a key priority going forward.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2016. 19 and 20 October 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 19 and 20 October 2021

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School details

Chief executive officer of trust Peter Hughes

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 October 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school makes use of one alternative provider.  The principal took up post in April 2021.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the principal, the chief executive officer of the trust, vice-principals and senior leaders in charge of safeguarding, behaviour and inclusion. Inspectors also spoke with governors and trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 19 and 20 October 2021

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 Inspectors also considered pupils’ learning in other subjects, including art and design, music, computing and geography. This included discussions with staff and reviewing programmes of study.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors spoke to leaders and staff. They reviewed the single central record and spoke to staff about their work to identify and support pupils who may be vulnerable.  Inspectors also considered the responses to surveys from parents, staff and pupils.  Inspectors spoke to pupils in a range of year groups about safeguarding, their well- being and learning.

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Inspection team

Alice Clay, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Daniel Coyle Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 October 2021

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regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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