The staff at a Leeds primary school are celebrating after Ofsted praised them for a great turnaround. Victoria Primary Academy in Osmondthorpe spent more than a decade being given the rating 'Requires Improvement' by school inspectors.
It has now been rated 'Good' in all areas. The school last received a 'Good' rating in 2006. Inspectors praised the ‘sharp focus on the quality of education at Victoria Primary Academy’ and recognised that ‘the school has gone through a period of change’ and pupils can ‘explain how this has made school better for them.’
Since becoming part of Wellspring Academy Trust, £540,000 has been invested in the school to bring the building up to standard and transform the quality of outdoor space. A total investment of £1.15m has been committed to improving the school space by 2024.
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Additional investment has been spent on developing a new, more engaging curriculum, introducing a range of extra-curricular activities, and enabling all pupils to have access to state-of-the-art IT, with the trust providing £200k to support the school from its school improvement fund.
Sam Bailey, Executive Principal at Victoria Primary Academy, said: “This is fantastic recognition of all the hard work the team and the Trust have put into the school over the past few years. Victoria Primary Academy has been on a real journey and it has been a challenging process but we’re incredibly proud of the school today, and the superb quality of education we are providing to the children.
“Whilst the physical environment for pupils has been improved immeasurably and made a huge difference to the learning environment and outdoor play spaces, the real transformation has been in the ethos, sense of community and richness of experience we offer the children here.
"Our very rich curriculum offers high quality across all subject areas and pupils are excited about their learning. From music lessons and sports competitions to school trips and school performances, our pupils are enjoying opportunities which they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to experience and standards are rising rapidly in reading, writing and maths. The pupils, parents and the staff team have worked together to create a school which we are proud of and I am thrilled that Ofsted recognised that.”
Mark Wilson, Chief Executive Officer at Wellspring, added: “All children deserve a wonderful, inspiring, engaging school experience. The team at Victoria Primary Academy are delivering that every single day. Ofsted is only one measure of a school’s value and success but it is an important one. The team, under Sam’s leadership, can feel very proud of their achievements and the transformational work they’ve done.”
Established in 2012, Wellspring is a multi-academy trust operating across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It comprises a community of 28 schools, with settings in mainstream primary and secondary alongside special and alternative provision.
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