Parklee Community School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

This good school is led very efficiently by an ambitious headteacher who is supported by a capable, well-trained senior leadership team, and a challenging and effective governing body. Together with an improving middle leadership team, they have ensured that the quality of teaching and pupils' learning has improved since the previous inspection. Standards across the school are rising.

From often lower than typical starting points when children start school, all groups of pupils in all key stages make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards by the end of Year 6 are usually above average. The quality of teaching, inclu...ding in the early years, is good.

Teachers know pupils well. They plan exciting activities and ensure that pupils are always ready and eager to learn. Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons.

Their attitudes to learning are positive. The school's work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are well looked after and say that they always feel safe.

Pupils benefit from a good curriculum which fully engages their interests, particularly in writing, music, visual art, sport and French. Pupils enjoy school. Their attendance is above average.

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is good, as is their knowledge and appreciation of British values. Parents are highly complementary about all aspects of the school. They are confident that their children are safe, well looked after, and achieving well.

Early years provision for children in the Nursery and Reception classes is good. Children enjoy their learning, make good progress and achieve well. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teaching assistants, and other adults who support teachers and pupils, are not always as effectively deployed as they could be, to ensure pupils', and children's, good progress.

Teachers' do not always use information on pupils' performance effectively to ensure that all pupils, especially the most able, achieve to the very best of their ability, particularly in Key Stage 2. The new outdoor learning areas in the early years do not yet generate outstanding learning

Information about this school

This is an above average-sized primary school. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.

An average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged and supported by pupil premium funding. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.

Children in the early years provision attend Nursery on a part-time basis. Reception classes are attended on a full-time basis. A breakfast club, known as `Bright Sparks', is available to pupils.

This is managed by the governing body. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Since the time of the previous inspection, there have been a number of appointments, including eight teachers, six teaching assistants and an early years manager.

The senior leadership team has been reorganised and a number of new governors, including the Chair of the governing Body, have joined the governing body. Since the previous inspection, the school has undergone significant building work. This includes four new classrooms, outdoor learning and playing areas for children in the early years, a library, and resource and music rooms.