Victoria Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Victoria Junior School Cornwall Crescent, Wood Lane, Rothwell, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS26 0RA

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Outcome

Victoria Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about their children’s experiences at Victoria Junior School. Staff know the pupils well and put them at the heart of everything they do. The school’s vision and values are evident in the day-to-day life of the school. Leaders expect pupils to work hard and show care and respect to others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe in school. Pupils say that bullying does not happen. If an incident occurred, pupils are confident that adults would deal with it quickly. There are warm relationships between adults and pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide pupils with leadership roles in school. Members of the school council prepare their own manifesto to present to their peers. Pupils promote respecting differences through information on displays and speaking in assemblies. Members of the pupil council described their school as ‘just an all-round great school’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults go above and beyond to develop pupils’ personal development. Leaders plan many different experiences so pupils can develop new skills. This helps to ensure that pupils are ready for the next stage of their education. These include raising money for Ukraine, working with Leeds Catering Team to become food ambassadors and developing their enterprise skills at the Christmas fair. Pupils are first-aid trained and know how to use a defibrillator in an emergency.

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

Leaders have carefully planned the curriculum that they want pupils to study in all subjects. They have identified the important knowledge that pupils need to know. This knowledge is introduced in a logical order so that pupils build on what they have already learned. Teaching begins with well-considered questions from previous topics. Pupils say that these questions help them to remember what they have learned before. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils use their previous learning about balance and momentum to help them perform a complex sequence accurately in gymnastics. 16 and 17 May 2023

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Leaders prioritise reading. Pupils talk about reading with interest and excitement. Pupils read from a carefully chosen selection of books. This helps them to learn about different cultures and backgrounds and develop their knowledge of the curriculum. Teachers check that pupils’ books match their reading ability. Consequently, pupils read fluently and with confidence.

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Leaders provide regular training for staff in teaching phonics. Staff identify pupils who find it hard to read when they start in Year 3. Pupils receive effective support to catch up quickly. Leaders give parents helpful information about the school’s approach to phonics.

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In mathematics, leaders have adapted their curriculum after their low outcomes in 2022. As a result, mathematical strategies and vocabulary are now clearly defined in the curriculum planning. Leaders have broken down some of the more complex tasks into smaller steps. For example, pupils have to demonstrate a secure understanding of decimal place value before using addition and subtraction of money. Pupils solve problems, evaluate methods and ‘convince’ their peers using reasoning skills. Pupils learn to reflect, challenge and persuade. This develops their resilience, while reinforcing knowledge.

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In some reading and mathematics lessons, activities are not tightly focused on what pupils need to learn next. There are some missed opportunities for pupils to further their thinking and make connections to their previous learning.

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Leaders are highly knowledgeable about the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Training helps all staff identify the needs of pupils quickly and accurately. They set targets for pupils with SEND that help pupils to learn well. Leaders work with external specialists to ensure that the provision is right for each pupil. This allows pupils with SEND to follow the full curriculum.

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The provision for personal development is of a high quality. Leaders provide an impressive range of opportunities to help pupils develop their understanding of the world. Pupils lead a range of activities in school such as ‘fit bods’, ‘Dragon’s Den design’ and working with banks to understand money. They relish the range of clubs and activities willingly provided by staff and outside agencies. Pupils are self-motivated and universally confident, polite and respectful.

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Governors, local authority officers and leaders work together to identify strengths and to determine future priorities for the school. Governors receive useful information to check on the effectiveness of leaders’ work. Staff value the consideration given to their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. They are vigilant and report any concerns promptly. Leaders take swift and effective action when safeguarding concerns are raised. They are tenacious in securing help for pupils and their 16 and 17 May 2023

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families. Leaders keep detailed safeguarding records. They link these with other information to inform the strong pastoral support provided.

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Pupils learn how to stay safe, both at home and online. They know they can talk to adults if they have any worries.

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Appropriate safer recruitment and employment checks are made and recorded accurately. Governors check safeguarding arrangements thoroughly.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons for reading and mathematics, activities are not tightly focused on what pupils need to learn next. This means there are missed opportunities to develop pupils’ thinking and build on what they already know. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide pupils with opportunities to further develop their thinking and make connections to their prior learning.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2018.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 16 and 17 May 2023

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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. 16 and 17 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10269174 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.rothwellvictoriajunior.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 and 21 February 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses Reach Primary Learning Centre for alternative provision.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, subject leaders, teachers and governors.  The inspector also spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and PE. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including school improvement planning and records of governors’ meetings. 16 and 17 May 2023

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 The inspector also looked at curriculum plans for science, history and art.  The inspector considered the responses from the parent, pupil and staff questionnaires issued at the time of inspection.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding through scrutiny of the school’s single central record of pre-employment checks, as well as other records, and through discussions with leaders, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Clayton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 May 2023

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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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