Albany Village Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 February 2023

Albany Village Primary School is a friendly and inclusive school, where pupils are happy and safe. Pupils behave well both in lessons and in the playground. They are kind and considerate to each other. Playground buddies are keen to help younger pupils. Bullying is rare. Leaders do not tolerate it. Positive relationships are a strength of the school. Pupils are well supported. They know staff will help them if they have a concern. Communication with parents has improved. Parents are well informed about how well their children are doing. The vast majority of parents who communicated with the inspector are overwhelmingly positive about the school. The new headteacher has worked successfully to improve morale across the school. Staff and leaders are a united team. They are determined to provide pupils with high-quality, memorable learning opportunities. Staff and pupils are inspired by the school motto to 'Reach their own stars'. Leaders have worked effectively to develop an ambitious curriculum. They have high expectations for all pupils. Recent changes to the curriculum are already making a difference. Leaders emphasise both academic success and pastoral care. Pupils enjoy a varied range of clubs, such as Lego, choir and rugby. Assemblies celebrate success and aim to prepare pupils as lifelong learners.

What the school should improve

• At times, in some foundation subjects, staff do not successfully match activities to focus on the most important things that pupils need to learn. Some tasks do not support pupils to know more and remember more. As a result, some pupils are unable to recall the important knowledge that leaders have identified. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive training and support so they have the necessary skills to select activities to teach these areas of the curriculum successfully.
• In some subjects, teachers do not accurately check to make sure that pupils have remembered what they have been taught. This means that teachers do not identify gaps in pupils' knowledge or use this information to plan future learning. Leaders should ensure that systems are further developed to check what pupils know so that teaching can be adapted appropriately in these subjects.

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