Victory Park Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 May 2024

Pupils arrive at school having had previous negative experiences of education. Staff quickly get to know what pupils' specific needs are. This helps them to settle into school very well. They soon learn to re-engage with learning. Pupils develop very positive attitudes towards their education. This helps to improve their attendance and ignite ambitions for their future. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils rise to these expectations. This helps them to achieve well. Many return to mainstream settings successfully. Some stay at school until the end of Year 11. These pupils gain the qualifications they need to be ready for their next stage of learning. The chance to build positive relationships is highly valued by pupils during their time here. They are incredibly respectful towards staff, visitors and each other. They enjoy coming together as one community to eat breakfast and lunch in the dining hall. They value the chance to chat about their day with staff and their peers. Pupils are proud to share their successes. They also enjoy celebrating the achievements of their peers. Pupils build their confidence and resilience through the wider enrichment offer. Highlights of the week include opportunities to take part in cooking or obstacle course racing.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes the work teachers set for pupils is not well matched to what pupils require. This can lead to pupils not securing their understanding of the important knowledge they need for their next steps. The school should ensure staff provide pupils with well-matched work and activities to enable them to secure the important knowledge they need for their future learning.
• The school has not established a clear approach towards developing reading for pleasure for pupils in key stage 3 and key stage 4. This means these pupils do not develop a rich body of knowledge and vocabulary over time. They also do not benefit from broadening their horizons or developing their cultural capital. The school should ensure they have a clear approach towards developing the reading habits of these pupils. This is so pupils benefit from experiencing a wider reading diet.

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