Ilketshall St Lawrence School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

Ilketshall St Lawrence is a caring and nurturing school in which pupils thrive. Many parents travel so their children can attend. Pupils throughout the school make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics because teachers know their individual levels and what they need to do next.

The school succeeds in its aim to give pupils a 'well-rounded' education. Pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding do well and reach levels identical to other pupils. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to the progress of the pupils they support.

Pupils say, and their parents agree, that they feel safe in school. The vast... majority of pupils behave well and enjoy all school has to offer. They have a real voice in their school.

One said, 'It is the best.' Pupils say subjects are taught in interesting ways so they want to find out more. They particularly like the visits, visitors and special weeks that give them a deeper understanding.

Staff form an effective team driven by their desire to do their best for every pupil. Staff morale is high because they know what is expected of them, and that they will be given any training they need to achieve it. School leaders and governors see that plans for any change are in place in plenty of time so the school runs smoothly.

For example, the change from first to primary school has been managed effectively through careful planning. Leaders and governors have brought about improvements to teaching and pupils' achievement since the previous inspection. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Some pupils have too little to do during the start and end of some lessons.

Staff do not check pupils always listen when they should, nor that they read, understand and follow feedback about their work. Improvement plans do not make clear what success will look like. A relatively high number of pupils miss a week or more of school because their families take holidays in term time.

Information about this school

This is a smaller-than-average primary school. Since it was last inspected, the school has expanded from a first to a primary school. 2013 is the first year that the school has Year 6 pupils taking the national tests, the results of which are not yet known.

Teacher assessments suggest that the school is on course to meet the government's floor standards, which are the minimum expected for pupils' attainment and progress. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (the extra government funding for children looked after by the local authority, known to be eligible for free school meals or whose families are in the armed services) is below average.

The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average. Pupils are taught in four classes.

Reception children are taught separately. All other pupils are taught in mixed-aged classes; Year 1 are taught with Year 2, Year 3 with Year 4, and Year 5 with Year 6. A privately run pre-school shares part of the building each weekday afternoon and is inspected separately.

Also at this postcode