Windmill L.E.A.D. Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The leadership provided by the L.

E.A.D.

Academy Trust, executive headteacher and the current headteacher has resulted in a transformation in the quality of education at the academy. It is rapidly improving in all aspects of its work. There is a very positive culture that has a strong focus on building pupils' basic skills and preparing them for life after school.

Parents are very positive about the academy. They appreciate the way it teaches their children and keeps them safe and happy. The academy ensures pupils' safety well, and successfully promotes good behaviour, and good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.<...br/>
Attainment is rapidly improving throughout the academy. This is the result of good progress from pupils' generally low starting points. Work in books confirms that pupils throughout the school achieve well.

Teachers plan lessons that enthuse and engage pupils. They use information from assessments well to set challenging tasks for most groups of pupils. Leaders and governors monitor and improve the quality of teaching well through the robust use of appraisal and training.

This has had a positive impact on pupils' good achievement. The current headteacher's outstanding leadership, together with the good support of senior and middle leaders, plays a full part in promoting the academy's values and good practice in teaching. The governing body holds the academy to account well and governors worked very effectively with the trust to enable the conversion to academy status to be smoothly and successfully carried out.

The Nursery and Reception classes provide children with a good start to their school lives. The provision has rapidly improved under the current outstanding leader. There are a good range of activities provided for children that prepare them well for their future schooling.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Too few pupils reach high standards in reading, writing and mathematics because the work they are given is sometimes too easy. Teachers do not always insist that pupils make use of the feedback they are given to improve their work. The teaching and learning in subjects such as history, geography and science, are not as consistently good as those in literacy and numeracy.

Information about this school

Windmill Primary Academy is larger than the average-sized primary school. The predecessor school, Windmill Primary School, converted to become an academy in February 2013 and is part of the L.E.

A.D. Academy Trust.

When the predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted it required special measures. Eight in 10 pupils are from a minority ethnic background. This is well above the national average.

Almost 7 in 10 pupils have English as an additional language. This is also well above the national average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average, at around 14%.

A very high proportion of pupils, over half of the school, are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals. The school has a higher proportion of pupils than average that join or leave the school at times other than are usual. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Children attend the Early Years Foundation Stage provision in the Nursery class mainly for half of the day, although some stay all day. Children in the Reception classes attend on a full-time basis. The school runs a breakfast club each morning.