The Victory Primary School

Inspection of The Victory Primary School

p.1

Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 4QP

p.1

Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

p.1

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good

p.1

The headteacher of this school is Jim Hartley. This school is part of United Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Sir Jon Coles, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Christian Brodie. 26 and 27 November 2024

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to this highly inclusive school. The Victory Primary School is an integral part of the local community. Staff have created a nurturing environment, so pupils feel safe and listened to. Pupils understand their emotions, and staff help pupils to feel calm and ready for learning. Pupils’ achievement is improving each year because staff focus well on the areas that make the most difference to pupils’ understanding.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of behaviour based around its motto of seeing ‘the best in everyone’. Pupils play together happily on the playground, showing tolerance and respect for one another. Through the many ways that the school seeks their views, pupils feel truly listened to. As a result, pupils behave well and disruption to learning is rare.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils across the school love taking on the different roles that they are all given. These include being book monitors or making sure that laptops are put away safely for their class. These roles help pupils to learn about and value being responsible citizens who have an important role in their school community.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils also benefit from a rich set of experiences that develop their understanding of the world around them. These include visits to local temples and the planetarium.

p.2

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

Over the last few years, the curriculum has been adapted further. This was to address the gaps in knowledge identified for the high number of disadvantaged pupils in the school. As a result, these pupils are achieving better than they were. Achievement is particularly strong in the early years. All pupils have a secure base from which to move on in their learning.

p.2

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

The school has designed a well-sequenced curriculum that meets all pupils’ needs. It sets out the knowledge and skills that pupils will learn at each stage, including in the early years. However, there are some aspects of the curriculum that the school is developing further. The school has begun to help more pupils write at a higher standard and in an appropriate way for a range of subjects. This aspect of the school’s work is still being embedded across the whole school.

p.2

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

Staff subject knowledge is strong. Pupils benefit from opportunities to discuss learning with each other, as it deepens their thinking. Staff make effective adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), based on swift and accurate identification of pupils’ needs. As a result, these pupils achieve well. Staff check pupils’ understanding effectively and address mistakes or misunderstandings well. As a result, pupils’ gaps in knowledge are closing rapidly.

p.2

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

The school’s approach to phonics and early reading is a strength. From the very beginning, children in the early years get off to a flying start in their joy of singing nursery rhymes and going on a journey through a shared story. They delight in playing and 26 and 27 November 2024

p.2

3

experimenting with making and saying sounds. Reading books are closely matched to the sounds that pupils have learned. Staff closely follow the school’s chosen phonics scheme and provide effective support for pupils who need more practice. Staff choose diverse texts to share and discuss with pupils. Consequently, pupils develop an appreciation of the differences between cultures and develop a love of reading.

p.3

3

In the early years, children get off to an excellent start. Many children enter the school with significant needs. Expertly trained staff support pupils extremely well to develop their communication, language and early writing skills. As a result, children speak and write with confidence and growing proficiency by the end of their time in Reception.

p.3

3

Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning and behave well. They try hard and low-level disruption is a rarity. Pupils keep trying when something is difficult. They use prompts to help them, such as discussing their thoughts with a partner. The school continues to work hard to improve some pupils’ attendance and punctuality, as these are not as high as the school would wish. The school has strong systems in place to track and raise awareness of the importance of high attendance. As a result, the attendance of all pupils is improving.

p.3

3

Pupils’ personal development is exceptional. The school provides extremely strong welfare and pastoral support steered by the school’s values. The school’s extensive nurture provision identifies and addresses the social and emotional needs of each pupil effectively. The school develops a deep sense of belonging in the children. This is shown through events such as weekly pupil book sharing with their families. Pupils talk with a deep understanding about relationships, growing up and what it means to be healthy.

p.3

3

Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils, staff and the community that they serve. The school prioritises staff workload and well-being. The trust and local governance committee fulfil their statutory duties with expertise, ensuring a strong and ever-improving partnership across the trust.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve?

 The school’s work to further develop pupils’ writing skills is not fully embedded. Not enough pupils produce writing of a high standard. The school should further embed and develop the teaching of writing so that gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills are closed effectively. 26 and 27 November 2024

p.3

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 November 2024

p.4

School details

Date of previous inspection 7 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 This school is a part of the United Learning Trust.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with speech and language as their primary need. There are 23 pupils, from Reception to Year 6, currently attending the resource, and pupils are placed there by the local authority. All have complex needs. Many of the pupils also participate in some lessons in the mainstream classes. All pupils who attend the resource have an education, health and care plan.  The school has provision for three-year-olds. 26 and 27 November 2024

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

p.6

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the local governing board, a member of the board of trustees and the regional director of the trust as a representative of the CEO.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum documentation, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

p.6

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire, including the free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to the confidential staff survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documents, including leaders’ plans for improving the school, minutes of the local governing board and trustee meetings, records of attendance and behaviour incidents.

p.6

Inspection team

Neil Pilsworth, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Felix Rayner Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 November 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7