Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy, located in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, has recently undergone its first inspection since becoming an academy. The inspection, conducted on 28 and 29 November 2023, resulted in an overall effectiveness rating of good across all evaluated areas, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school is led by Acting Principal Rebecca Pickard and is part of The Mead Educational Trust, overseen by CEO Sarah Ridley and a board of trustees chaired by Anthony Glover.
The school emphasizes the values of hard work, kindness, and responsibility, encapsulated in the ‘Willowbrook Way.’ Pupils demonstrate a strong understanding of these values, which are consistently modeled by staff. The school aims to prepare all pupils for bright futures, with a dedicated team focused on removing barriers to learning, ensuring that all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, thrive in an inclusive environment. Pupils exhibit good behaviour and show enthusiasm for their studies, maintaining concentration during lessons and demonstrating a solid sense of right and wrong.
Staff at Willowbrook go above and beyond to create a welcoming atmosphere, ensuring that pupils feel valued and supported. The school features a special ‘Hygge Room’ designed to provide emotional support to those in need. Pupils express appreciation for the caring nature of the staff, highlighting their commitment to checking in on students' well-being.
The curriculum is well-structured, with clear expectations for what pupils will learn. In the early years, the curriculum is broken down into manageable steps, allowing children to build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills. A key focus is on developing pupils’ spoken language, with staff actively encouraging the use of precise terminology in subjects like mathematics. However, while pupils grasp current content well, their retention of previously learned material is less secure in some subjects, such as history, where important concepts are not revisited systematically.
Although all staff are trained in phonics instruction, there are inconsistencies in the application of the chosen phonics programme, which can hinder pupils' progress in becoming fluent readers. Nevertheless, pupils enjoy the novels selected for English lessons, which cover a range of genres and themes, providing valuable life lessons.
The school demonstrates high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils, adapting lessons to meet individual needs. The designated specialist provision, known as ‘The Willow,’ offers tailored support for pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs. The school effectively manages behaviour and attendance, with a robust system in place for addressing safeguarding concerns.
Pupils benefit from a variety of enriching experiences, including trips and extracurricular activities that broaden their horizons. The personal, social, health, and economic education curriculum prepares pupils for local challenges, promoting respect for diversity. However, knowledge of British values and equality among pupils is an area for improvement.
The trust overseeing the school conducts regular checks to ensure effective governance and support for staff, who report high levels of job satisfaction and a positive working environment. The inspection concluded that while the school is performing well, there are areas for improvement, particularly in ensuring that pupils retain key knowledge over time and consistently implement phonics strategies to enhance reading fluency. Overall, Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy is a nurturing and effective educational environment, committed to the success and well-being of its pupils.
