Victoria Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Victoria Junior School Victoria Road, Feltham, TW13 4AQ

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2021

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are cheerful and welcoming. Pupils learn and play happily together. They feel safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious that all pupils will achieve well in a wide range of subjects. However, leaders do not check carefully that pupils are doing as well as they can, including in reading. Some pupils who fall behind have not received the support they need to catch up swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have lots of opportunities to discover and develop new interests beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they enjoy the enrichment afternoons that increase their awareness of environmental issues. Pupils put their learning into practice, such as making and putting up bird feeders, designing and building an electric car, and projects to reduce food waste.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are motivated by the school’s awards systems, including collecting stars awarded for reading books to put on their bookmarks, which encourage them to read more. When there are a few instances of unsettled behaviour including bullying, staff are quick to help put things right. Pupils said that they feel able to talk to their teachers if they have any worries.

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

Subject coordinators are developing their leadership roles. They have recently introduced detailed curriculum plans for each subject taught in the school. They have started to provide training and guidance for staff on teaching the curriculum plans. This is helping pupils to learn key content and understand subject-specific and technical vocabulary. 19 and 20 October 2021

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Subject coordinators are in the early stages of reviewing how well the plans are working and making adjustments accordingly.

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Leaders are in the process of developing staff expertise to teach phonics. Staff follow curriculum plans for teaching reading and develop pupils’ understanding of a variety of vocabulary. However, teaching does not ensure that pupils use phonics to decode and read unfamiliar words. The school’s approach to the teaching of phonics is not well organised. Nor are the programmes of support for any pupils who fall behind in their reading. Staff do not check closely enough that pupils’ reading books match the words and sounds they already know in order to help them build reading fluency. Leaders are currently selecting a new scheme for the teaching of phonics in the school.

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Teachers measure pupils’ learning in some subjects. In mathematics, teachers identify gaps in pupils’ learning and organise additional support for selected pupils. In most subjects, including in science and geography, leaders do not ensure that there are systems in place for teachers to check pupils’ understanding and recall from previous learning.

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Dedicated staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well. The staff boost pupils’ confidence, helping them to overcome any barriers to their learning and to take part in all aspects of school life.

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Pupils use their mathematical knowledge and numeracy skills across the curriculum, strengthening their mathematics expertise. Opportunities for pupils to read widely and develop their reading skills across the curriculum are not as well established.

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Leaders have close links with parents, carers and the local community. Leaders have carefully planned and implemented the school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE), including relationships and sex education (RSE). They consulted with parents, providing information and reassurance. Pupils have many opportunities to recognise the importance of being kind and empathic. For example, in physical education (PE) pupils consider the best ways to encourage others to take part in sports. Pupils reflect maturely on the content of the texts they read. They are respectful and understanding about challenges that people face in their lives.

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Pupils are attentive to staff in lessons and around the school. There is a calm atmosphere in classes and pupils interact positively and work diligently. Teaching is rarely interrupted.

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Leaders, including governors, have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and what needs to improve. In the survey, staff were wholeheartedly positive about the school. They said leaders support them well and make changes to ensure that teachers’ workload is manageable.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that the teaching of phonics, subject leadership development, and leaders’ use of assessment may usefully serve as areas of focus for the next inspection. 19 and 20 October 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school’s safeguarding policy is regularly updated to reflect current guidance, including raised awareness of the risks of harmful sexual behaviour. The policy translates into effective practice. Staff know their pupils well and recognise swiftly when a pupil might not be ‘quite themselves’. They know how to refer their concerns quickly. Leaders forge strong links with families and work with outside agencies when needed to enable pupils to receive the support they need. Staff are especially considerate of challenges to pupils’ mental health and well-being. Leaders carefully check the destinations and safety of any pupils who leave the school’s roll other than at the usual time.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have a well-organised approach to teaching phonics. Pupils do not receive the help they need to read as fluently as they should. Leaders should develop staff expertise in the teaching of phonics and ensure the adoption and implementation of an appropriate scheme, so that all pupils develop reading fluency and catch up swiftly.  Most subject coordinators are in the early stages of developing their roles. Their oversight of teachers’ delivery of subject plans, and ways this can improve, are not well established. Subject coordinators should ensure that the implementation of their curriculum plans is firmly embedded across the school.  Leaders do not have assessment systems in place to provide an overview of pupils’ achievement in science and the foundation subjects. This limits leaders’ evaluation of the quality of the curriculum and how well pupils achieve across the full range of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

subjects taught in the school. Leaders should finalise and implement their assessment systems to identify gaps in pupils’ learning and inform curriculum planning so that all pupils achieve well.

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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. 19 and 20 October 2021

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

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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

Inspection number 10200219 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12–13 October 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There has been a change in leadership structure since the previous inspection. The current headteacher took up post in March 2020. New subject coordinators and the deputy headteacher have also been appointed.  The school makes use of alternative provision, The Bridge Primary Centre, for a very small number of pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation.  The inspector met with school leaders, groups of teachers, groups of pupils, school governors, and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, geography and science. This included meeting with subject coordinators, looking at curriculum plans, visiting lessons, meeting with teachers, meeting with pupils and looking at samples of their work. 19 and 20 October 2021

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 The inspector also considered several other subjects, including mathematics, PE and PSHE/RSE.  The inspection of safeguarding included: a review of the school’s single central record and safeguarding policy; speaking with staff, parents and pupils; and a review of the school’s work with outside agencies to support pupils’ health and well-being.  The inspection also included scrutiny of a range of documents including the school’s development and improvement planning, surveys completed for the inspection by parents and staff, and a range of policies.

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Inspection team

Amanda Carter-Fraser, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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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