Van Gogh Primary

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 February 2023

Van Gogh Primary is a warm and nurturing school where pupils are happy and enjoy their learning. There is a growing sense of the school being at the heart of the community. This was summed up by one pupil, who said, 'We are like a family at this school, with multiple adults and multiple children.' Pupils and their families have regular opportunities to share their learning experiences. For example, leaders organise regular coffee mornings, and invite parents and carers to 'rock up and read' with their children in the early years. All staff have high expectations of what pupils can do and achieve, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are keen learners. They value the way the curriculum helps them to understand and remember more. Pupils are polite, friendly and show respect to adults and each other. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils have a range of activities and equipment to use. They get along happily, and enjoy the opportunity to play with pupils of different ages from across the whole school. Pupils behave well. This is because leaders and staff have put in place clear and consistent routines. This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils trust adults to sort out any issues when they arise. Bullying does not happen often. If it does, staff help pupils to deal with it.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, leadership is new, and expertise is still developing. Subject leaders' curriculum thinking needs to continue to be developed so that they can ensure that pupils are being fully supported to remember their learning and achieve ambitious end-points. Senior leaders should support subject leaders and teachers to develop their expertise in delivering the curriculum, including in how they can help pupils to remember the knowledge necessary for achieving the identified curriculum end-points.
• In some foundation subjects, leaders are aware that checks on pupils' learning are not used as effectively as they are in other subjects. As a result, teachers do not have effective information about what pupils already know and, in turn, do not ensure that teaching builds up knowledge as successfully in these subjects. Leaders need to continue to support subject leaders and teachers to use purposeful checks on pupils' learning.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)