Victoria Primary School
and Nursery Class
Falkirk Council
26 April 2011
We published a report on Victoria Primary School and Nursery
Class in April 2008. That report set out key strengths of the
school and areas for improvement. We carried out follow-through
inspections in October 2008 and October 2009 and published
reports on those visits in March 2009 and January 2010.
This follow-through report is based on an inspection visit which
was carried out in January 2011. It tells you about improvements
since the original inspection in the quality of education which the
school1 provides. It also comments on how the school is getting
on with the main points for action. First we focus on changes in
the core work of the school. We explain how the school has got
better at helping children to learn and benefit from being at the
school. Next we look at the key processes which enable this to
happen, including the involvement of parents2. Our report also
describes developments in the ‘ethos’ of the school, by which we
mean how well children are cared for and how much is expected
of them in all aspects of school life. Finally we comment on
improvements in leadership to help the school achieve its aims.
A copy of this report has been placed on the HMIE website
www.hmie.gov.uk. Where applicable, you will also find analyses
of questionnaire returns.
1
2
The term ‘school’ is used to include the work of the nursery
class, where relevant.
Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to
include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are
relatives or friends.
Contents
1. The school
2. Particular strengths of the school
3. How well do children learn and achieve?
4. How well do staff work with others to support children's learning?
5. Are staff and children actively involved in improving their school
community?
6. Does the school have high expectations of all children?
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
8. What happens next?
1. The school
Victoria Primary School and Nursery Class serves an area in east
Falkirk.
1
2. Particular strengths of the school
•
Children’s wider achievements and their involvement in the life of
the school.
•
The leadership of the headteacher and the senior management
team.
•
Staff participation in leading aspects of school improvement.
•
Children’s confidence and readiness for learning.
3. How well do children learn and achieve?
In the primary classes, children are now engaged more actively in their
learning and more aware of what they need to do to improve their
work. Their skills in talking and listening are developing well through
the cooperative learning groups. Children have much more
opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning. Overall,
children are making good progress in reading and mathematics and
satisfactory progress in writing. Staff have better knowledge of
children’s progress and pace of learning. Therefore, children now
enjoy more challenging work. In the nursery and enhanced provision,
children benefit from a range of learning experiences well matched to
their needs and interests.
Across the school staff are beginning to take account of Curriculum for
Excellence. Children now benefit from increased opportunities to learn
from a wider range of visits and visitors. Staff make effective use of
cross curricular work to help children make more meaningful links in
their learning. In topic work, children are more involved in identifying
what they want to learn. Children now have more frequent
opportunities to use and develop their information and communications
2
technology skills. Homework has improved through the introduction of
the monthly homework challenge.
4. How well do staff work with others to support children's
learning?
In the nursery class, enhanced provision and the primary stages, tasks
are now more relevant and better matched to the needs of all children.
Staff provide parents with helpful progress reports. Across the school,
support for learning staff engage well with children and provide staff
with helpful advice. Support plans are relevant and reviewed regularly.
Review meetings involve parents well in monitoring their children’s
progress. Parents are very supportive of the school and now feel
more involved in their children’s learning through the helpful open days
and curriculum workshops. The Parent Council is working well with
the school to make improvements. The school now successfully
involves the local community in activities such as concerts and
fundraising events.
5. Are staff and children actively involved in improving their
school community?
Arrangements for improving the school are now better. Children and
parents take a more active role in making decisions to help the school
improve. Staff very effectively take children’s views into account in
improving aspects of the school. Self-evaluation has been significantly
improved. Staff now reflect more on their practice. They share good
practice together and with other local schools. The headteacher and
the senior management team monitors the work of the nursery class,
enhanced provision and the school more thoroughly. Staff are now
more fully involved in tracking of children’s progress.
3
6. Does the school have high expectations of all children?
Most staff have increased their expectations of children’s
achievements and attainment. They are now taking positive steps to
ensure children are improving their achievements in English language
and mathematics. There is scope to continue to develop this further.
Children are more involved in tasks which are active and meaningful.
The quality of learning and teaching across the school has improved
considerably. Children are proud of their achievements. They feel
safe and well cared for in school.
7. Does the school have a clear sense of direction?
The school is now making effective progress. The headteacher is
highly committed to the school and is improving the quality of
experiences offered to children. She has a good understanding of the
school’s strengths and areas for improvement. She is well supported
by the new management team. Other staff take on responsibilities
which continue to improve experiences for children. With continued
effective leadership and the commitment of staff the school is well
placed to continue to improve.
8. What happens next?
There is clear evidence of improvement since the original inspection.
The quality of the curriculum, children’s learning experiences and the
arrangements for self-evaluation and meeting children’s needs are
now satisfactory or better. We will make no further visits in connection
with the inspection report of April 2008.
HM Inspector: Sarah Cushley
26 April 2011
4
When we write reports, we use the following word scale so that our
readers can see clearly what our judgments mean.
excellent
very good
good
means
means
means
satisfactory
weak
unsatisfactory
means
means
means
outstanding, sector leading
major strengths
important strengths with some areas
for improvement
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
important weaknesses
major weaknesses
If you would like to find out more about our inspections or get an
electronic copy of this report, please go to www.hmie.gov.uk.
Please contact us if you want to know how to get the report in a
different format, for example, in a translation, or if you wish to
comment about any aspect of our inspections. You can contact us
at HMIEenquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk or write to us at BMCT,
HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business
Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
Text phone users can contact us on 01506 600 236. This is a service
for deaf users. Please do not use this number for voice calls as the
line will not connect you to a member of staff.
You can find our complaints procedure on our website
www.hmie.gov.uk or alternatively you can contact our Complaints
Manager, at the address above or by telephoning 01506 600259.
Crown Copyright 2011
HM Inspectorate of Education