Victoria College

Overview

This sustaining improvement inspection was conducted during industrial action, meaning most teaching staff did not cooperate with the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI). Consequently, the ETI states it is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided for the pupils.” The evaluation relies solely on evidence made available by senior leadership and pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils “value the support and guidance they receive from their teachers” and appreciate the “wide range of extra-curricular activities available to them.”
• There has been a sustained focus on tracking pupil progress through “internal assessments and external standardised tests.”
• Whole-school planning for learning includes “signposting of differentiation within schemes of work” and “dissemination of classroom practice across departments.”
• Recent curriculum reviews have led to modifications to the offer at Key Stage 4 and post-16.
• Significant accommodation improvements include a new sports hall, refurbished science laboratories, and a new art and design space.

Areas to improve

• Address the “significant variation in the standards attained by the pupils across the subject departments at GCSE A*-B,” which remains a key priority.
• Ensure consistency in “whole school target setting to support the raising of the pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 4.”
• Continue to review the curriculum offer, including the “currency and career progression of the qualifications offered.”

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements “reflect broadly the guidance from the Department of Education” and pupils feel safe, though the ETI was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements” due to the industrial action.