Victoria Road Primary

Inspection of Victoria Road Primary Trelawney Avenue, St Budeaux, Plymouth, Devon PL5 1RH

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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

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The headteacher of this school is Cheryl Brake. This school is part of The Learning Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Simon Spry, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Butcher. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Victoria Road Primary is calm and purposeful. Pupils focus on their learning without distraction. Expectations are high for behaviour and for pupils’ achievement. During lessons pupils are polite and respectful of one another. They listen to each other’s contributions and respond positively to adults. Pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years get off to a flying start. In the bright, stimulating environment, they have plentiful opportunities to explore and experiment. This develops their curiosity for learning effectively. Staff support children well. Children learn the routines and how to interact with one another. The Nursery and Reception classes are happy, friendly spaces where children play together confidently, sharing resources and ideas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a voice and are listened to eagerly. They participate in the school parliament which gives them meaningful opportunities to help improve the school, such as the request for changes at break times. Assemblies and the personal, social and health education curriculum ensure pupils have a good understanding of equalities and how to be fair to those who are different from themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Recent changes at the school have been managed well. The trust has ensured changes have not had a negative impact on pupils’ learning and experiences at the school. As a result, the school has the confidence of staff, pupils and parents.

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

The school, supported by the trust, has established an effective curriculum. In most subjects, the school has identified the knowledge pupils need to learn. The content of the curriculum is sequenced carefully. This helps pupils to build successfully on what they already know and can do. Staff are skilful at including vocabulary that pupils have learned previously when introducing new content. Pupils rise to teachers’ expectations of them. This is evident in pupils’ work that shows they learn the curriculum well. However, in some subjects the curriculum is not designed and taught in a logical way. Where this is the case, pupils’ learning is hampered because they find it more difficult to build on what they already know in these subjects.

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

The school has ensured that a love of reading is visible across its work. In the Nursery, children read happily with staff in specially developed spaces. They retell familiar tales or books about different cultures or backgrounds with gusto. Across the early years, children enjoy lots of opportunities to listen to adults reading rhymes and stories. Props and books help children to role play characters and stories with one another. This love of books continues throughout the school. The ‘super six’ books, selected for each year group, helps pupils to build a love of reading successfully.

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

The school has ensured that reading is taught well. The teaching of phonics is effective. Staff demonstrate secure subject knowledge. Pupils learn the right sounds at the right time and read books that match these sounds. At key stage 2, the reading curriculum is newer. Although published outcomes in the past have been low, current pupils now learn 21 and 22 January 2025

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a far more ambitious reading curriculum. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ ability to use a wide range of reading skills.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn with equal success. The school identifies pupils’ needs accurately and quickly. Staff provide the support pupils need. Where necessary, teachers adapt the work given to pupils successfully to help pupils learn the intended curriculum. The school ensures that pupils who need additional support to manage their own feelings and behaviour, receive the help they need.

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The school is resolute in its work to improve pupils’ attendance. Leaders have ensured they know the barriers to better attendance for their community. They have utilised the positive relationships they have with parents to raise expectations through a shared understanding of why every day in school matters. As a result, pupils’ attendance is improving, and significantly so for some.

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The school has considered carefully the needs of its community when planning for pupils’ personal development. It seeks and uses every opportunity to give pupils experiences that broaden their social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding. For example, visits to the theatre, joining the mini-police and singing at the local supermarket give pupils an understanding of citizenship.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the curriculum is not sequenced well. As a result, teaching does not help pupils to build securely on what they already know and can do. Pupils do not learn as well in these subjects. The trust should make sure all subjects are equally well designed, so that pupils know more and remember more across the curriculum.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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’ 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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 January 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined The Learning Academies Trust in August 2023.  The headteacher and one of the assistant headteachers, were appointed in September 2024.  The school has provision for two-, three- and four-year-olds in the Nursery.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, teaching and support staff. The lead inspector met with the chairs of the trust and the local governing body. She also met with the chief executive officer and the director of education.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. In addition, they met with pupils informally and formally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including the school’s improvement plan.

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Inspection team

Angela Folland, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracy Hannon Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

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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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