Lugwardine Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

The academy managers, strongly led by the headteacher, have quickly brought about rapid improvements in pupils' achievement by raising the quality of teaching. Pupils throughout the academy, including those who join after Reception, achieve well. Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils achieve as well as other groups.

Leaders check pupils' progress regularly. They provide them with extra support where necessary. The governing body challenges the academy well about pupils' achievement.

There is a strong sense of community. Pupils' behaviour is often exemplary and older pupils help younge...r ones. Pupils rightly feel safe and secure in the academy.

Teachers have respectful and supportive relationships with pupils. The curriculum is varied, covers different subjects well and promotes pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Teachers' marking helps pupils to improve.

Children settle happily and make good progress during the Reception Year. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teachers do not always use information about pupils' different abilities to prepare suitably demanding work for them. Some leaders have not provided their colleagues with enough help to enable them to do this.

The most-able pupils' progress is seldom outstanding because not enough teaching excites and enthuses them. Weaknesses in the quality of the information the academy holds and uses about the skills and aptitudes of children in Reception slow their progress. Teaching assistants sometimes do not work well enough with the pupils they support.

Information about this school

This is an average-sized primary academy. Lugwardine Primary Academy converted to become an academy on 1 April 2012. When its predecessor school, Lugwardine Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.

Most pupils are White British. Only a very small number of pupils are learning English as an additional language. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average.

The proportion who are supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, or the new education, health and care plan, is below average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care, is below average. More pupils than is commonly the case join or leave the academy before the end of Year 6.

In 2013, the academy met the government's floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Children joining the academy in Reception are mainly from a local nursery school. A new headteacher joined the academy in September 2013.