Vernon Park Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 February 2025

Pupils are happy at Vernon Park Primary School. They enjoy being part of a welcoming, friendly and caring community. They have positive relationships with their peers and staff. Pupils, including children in the early years, behave well in class and around the school. Most pupils listen attentively and remain focused on tasks during lessons. The quality and delivery of some subject curriculums, including in the early years, vary. This means that pupils do not consistently learn what the school intended. Therefore, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school provides high-quality pastoral support to pupils and their families. It ensures that pupils know how to stay safe and healthy and keep active. Pupils talk confidently about differences and how it is important to celebrate diversity. Pupils take on meaningful leadership roles in the school. One example is the group known as the 'restorative champions'. These pupil representatives help others on the playground to sort out any difficulties. Pupils also benefit from a well-designed outdoor curriculum. They speak excitedly about 'whittling' and using the 'Kelly kettle'.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, and aspects of the early years, the school has not made the essential knowledge that pupils must learn clear enough. This hinders how well pupils achieve. The school should develop its curriculum thinking across all subjects so that teachers know exactly what they are teaching pupils and when.
• Some areas of the curriculum are not being delivered as intended. As a result, pupils do not gain the depth of knowledge they need to achieve well in these areas. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum is implemented successfully so that pupils build their knowledge well.
• Staff do not use assessment strategies well enough to check on how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. This prevents staff from identifying and addressing the gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that staff are well equipped to use assessment strategies effectively to identify gaps in pupils' prior learning and adjust their teaching accordingly.
• The school does not have a sufficiently clear oversight of curriculum effectiveness. This means that it does not know if the curriculum is having the intended impact and what changes are needed to improve it. The school should ensure that it systematically checks that the curriculum is being implemented as it is designed and has the appropriate impact on pupils' achievement.

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