Arlecdon Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. This is a rapidly improving school. The headteacher's strong leadership has been behind the marked improvements made over time since the school was placed into special measures at the inspection in 2013.

Under her leadership, the school has become a welcoming, caring and inclusive school. Every child is recognised as a unique individual and given every chance to succeed. Leaders are sharply focused on raising pupils' attainment.

Consequently, standards are rising and all groups of pupils currently in the school, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability, are making good progress. The qualit...y of teaching is now consistently good. Due to the small number of pupils in each class, teachers know each individual child very well.

The school works collaboratively with a number of schools in the locality. This has been pivotal in securing and rapidly driving forward improvements. Standards of behaviour, both in the playground and classroom, are good.

This is a happy school where pupils are well cared for and safe. Children in early years settle in quickly at school and make good progress from starting points which are typical for their age. The vast majority of parents are very supportive of the school.

They typically comment about the 'exceptional leadership' and 'high-quality, caring teachers'. Governors know the school well and hold the school leaders effectively to account. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Pupils at key stage 1 are not always given enough opportunities to write at length across the foundation subjects of the national curriculum.

The roles of some foundation subject leaders are not well embedded. Best practice is not shared effectively across the school. There are not enough opportunities for children to develop their reading skills in the early years.

Information about this school

This is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above the national average. The number of disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for support through pupil premium funding, is below average.

Pupil premium funding is additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, for pupils looked after by the local authority and for children of service families. Most pupils are of White British heritage. Children in the early years attend full-time provision in Reception and on a part-time basis in Nursery.

The school has four mixed classes. They comprise Nursery and Reception, Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6. The executive headteacher holds the same position at Thornhill Primary School.

Due to the small number of pupils in each class, the school is exempt from having to meet the government's floor standards. These are the minimum standards and rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics of pupils in key stage 2. There is a breakfast and after-school club on-site which is run by the governing body.