Valley Invicta Primary School At Leybourne Chase

Inspection of Valley Invicta Primary School At Leybourne Chase Derby Drive, Leybourne Chase, West Malling, Kent ME19 5FF

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

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The head of school is Gemma Robinson. The school is part of Valley Invicta Academy 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), Richard Hayden, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Matt Fletcher. There is also an executive headteacher, Jeanette Brumby, who is responsible for this school and Valley Invicta Primary School at East Borough. 8 and 9 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils delight in attending this exceptional school. Staff are compassionate and cater for the emotional needs of their pupils well. Pupils are happy and safe. Pupils who attend the school’s specialist resourced provision are fully integrated into the life of the school. Pupils behave extraordinarily well. They are courteous and readily hold open doors for adults. Pupils relish taking on roles of responsibility. Pupils appointed as anti-bullying ambassadors look after the well-being of younger pupils. Older pupils assigned as buddies look after children in the early years. As such, there is a real sense of community in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Playtimes are joyful. Pupils play on scooters, scramble on the play equipment and play a myriad of ball games. As a result, pupils return to class re-energised and ready to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is highly ambitious for pupils, especially pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, pupils achieve exceptionally well across all subjects. Pupils’ artwork that demonstrates their artistic skills and knowledge adorns the corridors. Workbooks celebrate the detailed knowledge that pupils gain. Pupils show a genuine care and interest in their friends. They readily speak about their pride in the achievement of others.

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

The school provides an exceptional curriculum. There is a clarity of curriculum thinking that is finely tuned to the needs and interests of the pupils. The delivery of the curriculum is underpinned by well-informed research. The school ensures that the curriculum meets the needs of pupils with SEND. As such, pupils achieve well and relish their time in school. The school supports teachers in delivering the curriculum. Leaders train and coach teachers to refine the way that they teach. As a result, teachers are knowledgeable and confident in the delivery of the curriculum.

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

The school has high aspirations for the pupils. The early years is exceptionally strong. This is reflected in the clarity of leadership from both the trust and the school. Children in the early years develop a secure understanding of number. They swiftly learn how to read. Children explore their knowledge through a wide range of meaningful activities that help them to secure what they need to know. Older pupils explore their mathematical knowledge across the curriculum. For example, they use data analysis and graphical representations in science and geography. This helps them to embed their mathematical knowledge. Reading is prioritised in the school. Pupils explore a wide range of engaging texts that enthuse them to read. The school swiftly identifies pupils at risk of falling behind and ensures that they quickly gain the knowledge and skills needed. As a result, pupils become competent and fluent readers.

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

Teachers help pupils to embed what they learn. They skilfully question pupils. Pupils also question one another using the school’s engaging approach to questioning. This creates a culture of enquiry where pupils take ownership of their learning. Teachers carefully check in on what pupils know and understand. They draw on what pupils have learned before 8 and 9 July 2025

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and weave this into new learning. As such, pupils readily connect what they learn to what they already know. Teachers accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND. They provide meaningful adaptations in class to ensure that pupils gain the knowledge needed to succeed.

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The school provides a broad range of opportunities that develop pupils’ character effectively. Pupils gain a detailed understanding of life in modern Britain. They learn about rights and responsibilities and live this out in their lives and actions. For example, pupils appointed as safeguarding leads work within and across schools in the trust to raise awareness of how to stay safe. Pupils know that discrimination is unacceptable and maturely articulate the rights of others. Pupils are knowledgeable about future career opportunities. For example, a pupil trained as a school buddy expressed an aspiration to work as a social worker.

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Pupils behave exceptionally well when learning across the curriculum. This is because of the very high expectations for behaviour and conduct. The school supports pupils to learn how to regulate their own behaviour. As such, classrooms are calm places where pupils engage in learning. The school is highly effective in working with families when attendance falls below the expected level. This leads to high attendance and pupils who are keen to be in school.

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Leaders are responsive to the needs of staff and pupils. Trust leaders and governors diligently support the school. They challenge school leaders to ensure that improvements are consistently achieved. Leaders support staff to manage their workload well. The school is outward facing. Staff seek to share strong practice with schools across the trust and learn from other schools.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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.

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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 8 and 9 July 2025

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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). 8 and 9 July 2025

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School details

Headteacher Gemma Robinson (Head of School)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 February 2024, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Valley Invicta Academies Trust.  The school has a specialist resourced provision for pupils with SEND. There are 17 pupils in the provision who have autism. All of these pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school has an executive headteacher who also has responsibility for another school in the trust.  The school uses one registered 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 8 and 9 July 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, members of the governing body, trust leaders, other leaders and a range of staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  The inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including those related to governance of the school.

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 The inspectors spoke to the lead practitioner in the alternative provision used by the school.  The inspectors considered the views of parents and carers through their responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspectors spoke to staff and considered the views of staff and pupils in the staff and pupil surveys. The inspectors spoke to pupils and parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Graham Chisnell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jody Murphy Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 July 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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