Captains Close Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The school is rapidly improving because of the good leadership of the headteacher, her focus on raising pupils' attainment and the positive culture she has created.

School leaders have good relationships with parents, who talk very positively about how much they appreciate the way the school looks after their children and keeps them safe and happy. The school ensures pupils' safety well, and also promotes good behaviour and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This is preparing pupils well for the next stage in their education.

Attainment is rising at the end of Key Stage 2. The pupils who left Year 6 in 2014 made outstandi...ng progress in writing and good progress in reading and mathematics from their levels at the end of Year 2. Work in books supports this picture, and pupils throughout the school are making better than expected progress.

Teaching is consistently good. Leaders, including governors, have improved the quality of teaching through the robust use of appraisal systems and training. This has had a positive impact on pupils' achievement.

Subject and senior leaders play a full part in promoting the school's values and in spreading good practice. All adults at the school are proud of their involvement in its improvement and success. The governing body has improved the ways it holds the school to account since the last inspection.

Governors are knowledgeable about the school's work and very supportive of the direction it is taking. The Reception class provides children with a good start to their school lives. The range of activities provided for them, with a focus on their communication skills and imaginative development, is preparing them well for Year 1.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teachers do not always provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to extend their speaking skills and to learn new words to improve the content of their writing. Pupils' spelling is not accurate enough. Teachers do not check regularly enough that the activities they provide are engaging all pupils and are appropriate to support good effective learning.

Information about this school

Captain's Close Primary School converted to become an academy school in July 2013. When its predecessor school, Captain's Close Primary, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be satisfactory. Captain's Close Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

There is one class in each age group from Reception to Year 3. Children in Reception attend full time. There are two mixed-age classes in Years 4 and 5 and Years 5 and 6, grouped by age.

Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below the national average. A small number of pupils each have an Education, Health and Care plan.

The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority) is average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Three new teachers, two of whom were newly-qualified teachers, and the other an acting assistant headteacher, have been appointed in the past three years.

The current early years leader is temporarily covering absence due to illness. Recently completed refurbishment now accommodates classes in their own separate areas. The school is part of the Melton Lynx Academy Group.