Packmoor Ormiston Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

Effective leadership at all levels has led to notable improvement in all aspects of the school's work. A strong sense of teamwork and shared high ambition exists between school leaders, staff and governors. Staff are committed to providing the best possible care and education for every pupil.

Governors hold leaders to account for pupils' achievement. Leaders rigorously check the quality of teaching and effectively measure pupils' achievement. Good quality training for teachers and well-targeted support for pupils are provided where needed.

As a result of this cycle, teaching is now good and pupils are making rapid progress in re...ading, writing and mathematics. Pupils' behaviour is good. They are safe and happy in school.

The school helps them to become confident, caring, socially aware individuals and prepares them well for life in modern democratic Britain. Teachers know their pupils well. They plan lessons that enable pupils to learn new skills quickly and challenge pupils to think critically and creatively.

Pupils' reading, writing and mathematics skills are now well developed. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 are attaining the standards they should for their ages. Some are exceeding these.

Increasing proportions of the most-able pupils are reaching the high standards of which they are capable. Pupils use their reading and writing skills confidently to help their learning in many subjects. Children in the early years are taught well in a safe, stimulating environment.

As a result, they are happy and confident and achieve well. The school's curriculum provides pupils with many opportunities to learn through a broad range of memorable experiences. It helps pupils to develop academic skills, cultural awareness, tolerance and understanding.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Due to the legacy of very low standards, pupils' attainment has been too low in recent years. While all pupils are now making good progress, a few still have lost ground to make up. Pupils do not routinely use their mathematical skills in everyday life.

Information about this school

Packmoor Primary School is a larger than average-sized primary school. Almost all pupils are White British. Around one in five of the pupils is disadvantaged and eligible for support through the pupil premium.

This proportion is below that in most schools. This additional government funding is provided for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority. Just over one in ten of the pupils is disabled or has special educational needs.

This is similar to other schools. The early years is made up of one Nursery class and two Reception classes. Children attend full time.

An out-of-school club, managed by the governing body, operates in a nearby community centre in partnership with a local special school and secondary school. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. The school was inspected in September 2013 and judged to have serious weaknesses, as it was performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

Since then, it has been monitored three times by Ofsted. The governing body had been reconstituted since the previous inspection. There is now a core of seven members.

The local authority brokered a package of support to strengthen leadership and to improve the quality of teaching. Through this package, the school has worked with successful local schools and the Britannia Teaching School Alliance. The assistant headteacher is a specialist leader in education (SLE).

At the request of the local authority, she and the headteacher have provided support to strengthen the capacity of leadership at another local primary school. The deputy headteacher is also the co-ordinator for provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs (known as the SENCO). He has provided support for SENCOs from other schools to improve the tracking of achievement for these pupils.