Victoria Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Victoria Park Primary School Atlas Road, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4QS

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 January 2022

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Outcome

Victoria Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well at this happy and welcoming school. They uphold the school’s values of respect, curiosity, kindness and determination in all they do. Pupils respect the school rules and their teachers, so any disruption to learning is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils. They ensure the curriculum is full of meaningful activities which bring learning to life. Staff celebrate pupils’ achievements through high- quality and informative displays.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school site. They enjoy a range of activities at lunchtime and breaktimes, including basketball, construction toys, drawing and reading in the quiet zones. Older pupils take on leadership roles such as ‘games makers’ with pride. Pupils are confident that adults will sort out any bullying or friendship worries swiftly. They say that there are no spaces where they feel unsafe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers use carefully selected books to discuss social and moral issues, such as the slave trade and refugees. This helps to deepen pupils’ understanding of equality and inclusion. Pupils say that they know the importance of treating everyone with respect and kindness. Parents and carers speak highly of how the school supports pupils’ academic and pastoral needs.

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

Leaders place reading at the core of the curriculum. Teachers select interesting and thought-provoking stories to encourage a love of reading. There is a strong focus on teaching pupils a range of reading skills. As pupils move through the school, teachers successfully develop pupils’ comprehension and vocabulary. Pupils of all ages speak positively about reading. They enjoy how teachers connect learning with other subjects. For example, pupils in Year 4 have a deeper understanding of deforestation from the stories they read in English. 11 and 12 January 2022

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Leaders have ensured that there is a consistent approach to phonics teaching. Staff receive regular training and support. This helps them gain the expertise to teach the phonics programme effectively. Staff use assessment well to spot pupils who may be falling behind. A few pupils at the early stage of reading benefit from individualised support. However, the books they read do not always match the sounds they have learned in lessons. This means that they struggle to read fluently.

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Leaders have implemented an effective mathematics curriculum. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They skilfully help pupils draw on their prior knowledge when learning new concepts. For example, children in Reception use their understanding of odd and even to compare numbers. In key stage 2, pupils’ secure knowledge of multiplication tables helps them find percentages of amounts. Teachers use assessment well. They check whether pupils are confident in their learning before moving on to new concepts. Pupils speak positively about the help and support they receive from staff.

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Leaders have strengthened many subjects in the wider curriculum. They have mapped out the important knowledge and skills they want pupils to know and build on over time. In history, pupils talk confidently about the concepts of conflict, trade and settlement. Pupils understand how key events from the past have influenced our lives today. For example, pupils in Year 6 use sources to find out what life was like during the Bristol Blitz. However, leaders recognise that some subject leaders have not had the opportunity to routinely check how well pupils know and remember the intended curriculum.

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This is an inclusive school. Pupils and staff develop positive relationships. Pupils are keen to learn. Lessons are typically calm and free from disruption. Leaders cater well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff provide effective support for pupils’ physical, social and educational needs. They adapt learning thoughtfully to ensure that pupils with SEND experience success.

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Leaders have devised a ‘Victoria Park Passport’ of activities to broaden pupils’ experiences at school. For example, pupils raise money for charity, grow produce and care for the environment. These and many more opportunities inspire pupils to be responsible and active citizens.

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Leaders, including governors, benefit from working with the Cathedral Schools Trust to share good practice. Governors know the school’s priorities and their role in holding leaders to account. Leaders at all levels prioritise staff workload and well-being. Staff value the way that leaders look after them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take safeguarding seriously. They ensure that staff receive regular training so they know how to identify any signs of concern. Leaders are quick to provide support to families in need of extra help. 11 and 12 January 2022

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Trust leaders and governors monitor the school’s safeguarding procedures closely. They check that adults employed in school are suitable to work with pupils.

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Pupils feel safe in school. They are well-informed about safe practices, including online and road safety awareness. Pupils know that trusted adults will listen and help if they have any worries.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For a minority of pupils at the early stages of reading, teachers do not consistently match the reading books to the sounds that pupils know. As a result, pupils struggle to sound out words accurately and read fluently. Leaders should ensure that these pupils have reading books that are well matched to the sounds they are learning in school.  In a few areas of the curriculum, subject leaders have only recently implemented new and improved curriculum plans. They do not precisely understand what pupils of all ages know and can do in these subjects. Senior leaders should ensure that those subject leaders have clear oversight of how well pupils learn and remember the knowledge set out in the curriculum planning.

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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 predecessor school, Victoria Park Primary School, to be good in January 2013.

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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. 11 and 12 January 2022

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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. 11 and 12 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212131 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.victoriaparkp.bristol.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Victoria Park Primary School converted to become an academy in August 2017. The school is part of the Cathedral Schools Trust. This is a group of six primary schools and three secondary schools within the local area.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2018.  The school has its own local governing board with delegated responsibilities. The chair of the local governing board was elected in May 2021.  The school use two registered alternative learning providers.

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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 their evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher, a representative from the multi-academy trust and three governors.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at 11 and 12 January 2022

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curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans for other subjects, including geography.  The inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding documentation, including the single central record. The inspector considered how well leaders act on emerging concerns about pupils’ welfare and safety. The inspector talked to pupils and staff about safety.  The inspector considered 92 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 67 free-text responses, and 30 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Dale Burr, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 January 2022

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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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