Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy provides an exceptional education for its pupils. Pupils are polite, articulate, hardworking and ambitious. The guiding principles of courtesy, integrity, resilience, hard work and excellence are central to the culture of the school.

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, leading to impressive outcomes. All pupils in the school have access to the same opportunities, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils receive a broad curriculum and can choose to study extra subjects, including Japanese, electronics, and Latin.

Pupils take great pride in their work. Leaders and staff have developed ...a calm and well-ordered environment where pupils are safe.

Leaders ensure that every pupil has access to many trusted adults, including from the pastoral team if they require support.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary both in lessons and around the school site. Incidents of bullying are rare. If it does happen, leaders act quickly to address any issues.

Pupils have access to a range of wider opportunities in the school. Pupils' enjoyment and participation of enrichment and extra-curricular activities are very high. These include clubs for music, chess, knitting, and a rowing academy.'

Senior Students' lead a successful peer-mentoring programme for younger pupils in the school.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have constructed a rich curriculum which goes beyond the ambition of the national curriculum. As part of the school's 'Bourne Scholar' programme, pupils have opportunities to study subjects in further depth.

For example, pupils learn about climate change, philosophy, and politics. This helps them to be thoroughly prepared for the next stages of education or employment.

Leaders ensure that in all subjects, pupils build knowledge progressively over time.

This helps pupils to develop deep subject-specific knowledge and skills. For example, in history, pupils in Years 7 and 8 learned about the monarchy and how power can be exploited. In Year 9, pupils used this knowledge to explore political power through warfare in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Teachers ensure that they review and build on pupils' prior learning. This helps pupils to undertake complex work with confidence. For instance, in physical education (PE), Year 10 pupils applied prior skills about tactics and coordination in netball, to handball.

Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and deliver lessons with clarity. They check pupils' understanding regularly and address any gaps in knowledge swiftly.Leaders organise additional catch-up sessions for pupils who need extra support in different subjects.

Enjoyment and participation in reading are prioritised within the school. Teachers ensure that pupils have access to a wide range of reading resources. These include high-quality texts and articles about current affairs.

Leaders identify the needs of weaker readers accurately. They ensure that these pupils catch up and develop their reading fluency and confidence.

Leaders support pupils with SEND to follow the same ambitious curriculum as other pupils.

They identify and support these pupils' needs extremely well. Staff use highly effective strategies to help pupils with SEND so that they can achieve well. Teachers have an in-depth knowledge of individual needs for pupils with SEND.

Pupils' learning is rarely affected by low-level disruption. Leaders have high standards for behaviour in the school. They ensure that staff use behaviour strategies consistently well across the school, including through frequent rewards.

Pupils enjoyed exchanging 'achievement marks' for prizes, including stationary, basketball court passes and entry to rewards discos.

Leaders promote pupils' wider personal development through a rich set of experiences. Pupils take part in many educational visits.

Staff develop pupils' confidence, including through well-considered 'drop-down' days. Pupils have many opportunities to perform in front of others. This is supported by the school's oracy specialism, and pupils can take part in debates, poetry recital competitions and the student parliament.

Pupils' mental and physical health is promoted with diligence throughout the school.

Leaders have developed a very strong careers programme. All pupils have access to a wide range of employers, and pupils in Year 11 all receive external careers guidance.

Staff are well supported by leaders and have access to a wide range of high-quality professional development opportunities. Those responsible for governance have a comprehensive understanding of the school. They provide a high degree of challenge and support for leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff are vigilant in identifying and reporting concerns.

There is a large and highly trained safeguarding team which ensures support is put in place for pupils in a timely manner.

Leaders work with a range of external agencies to ensure pupils receive the support that they need. Pupils are well informed about how to keep safe and they understand how to report any concerns.