Lawn Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key findings

This is a good school that promotes pupils' academic and personal development well. Parents and carers agree and many made positive comments about the quality of teaching, the care and support pupils receive and the school's good leadership.

It is not yet an outstanding school because, although pupils of all abilities and backgrounds now make good progress and attainment rose sharply in 2012, attainment and progress have not been consistently above average over time. Teaching is good. Children make a good start in the Reception year and this good achievement continues through the school.

Teachers are skilled in making their lessons interesting and pupils thoroughly enjoy their activities which... promote good levels of independence and challenge their thinking. Teachers assess pupils' attainment accurately and generally match activities to their learning needs well. Attainment in English and mathematics has varied in recent years between average and above average.

Underachievement, evident previously in some year groups, has been addressed and gaps in pupils' learning are closing successfully because all abilities achieve well. Boys and girls make better progress than their peers nationally, but girls' achievement is stronger than that of the boys' in reading and writing particularly in Years 1 and 2. Behaviour is excellent.

Pupils demonstrate high levels of concentration, perseverance and eagerness to learn. They show care for one another and respect for each other's views. They display a mature awareness of potential dangers around them and make an excellent contribution to the school's safe and positive learning environment.

Staff and governors share the headteacher's strength of purpose in moving the school forward, with the result that there has been significant and concerted focus on improving teaching and on managing the school's performance which can be seen in rising attainment. The senior team have played a significant part in this process. The curriculum has been developed effectively and promotes pupils' enjoyment of learning and their strong spiritual, social, moral and cultural development.

Information about the school

Lawn Primary is larger than most primary schools. The vast majority of its pupils come from White British backgrounds. The backgrounds of pupils from minority ethnic groups are varied, but each group is small.

Very few have English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is also below average.

The school received an interim assessment by Ofsted in July 2010 which judged the school's good performance to have been sustained and so its next full inspection was deferred until now. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. Over the last two years the school has received the Artsmark Gold Award, Healthy Eating Plus Award and holds the Dyslexia Friendly School Status.

The school runs a breakfast club each morning. A privately-run pre-school is situated in the school grounds and privately-managed clubs are held after school. Neither were part of this inspection and their reports can be found on the Ofsted website.