Lakeside Primary Academy, located in Alvaston, Derby, was inspected on November 29 and 30, 2022. The overall effectiveness of the school was rated as requiring improvement, along with the quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This was the first inspection since the school opened as an academy in January 2019, following a previous inspection of its predecessor, Lakeside Community Primary School, which also required improvement.
Pupils express enjoyment in attending Lakeside Primary Academy, noting that staff care for them and support their learning. The school promotes respectful relationships, safety, and kindness among students. Recent changes to the behavior policy have been positively received, with pupils appreciating the rewards for good behavior. However, some students report that poor behavior still disrupts learning, indicating a need for further improvement in this area. While pupils understand what bullying is and feel that it is addressed by adults, there is recognition that some students require additional support to manage their behavior effectively.
The school has prioritized reading, implementing a well-structured phonics program that is consistently taught by trained staff. Pupils receive immediate support if they begin to fall behind, and the phonics leader monitors the program's effectiveness. Beyond phonics, students engage with a variety of texts, enhancing their reading skills and vocabulary. However, the school is in the process of adopting a new curriculum, with some subjects fully planned and others transitioning from the old curriculum. This inconsistency has led to gaps in pupils' knowledge and recall of content.
Plans are in place to support students with special educational needs and disabilities, but these plans are often disjointed and do not fully address the range of support required. The revised behavior policy is beginning to improve standards, but incidents of poor behavior still occur, and leaders need to track lower-level behaviors more effectively to identify patterns early.
In the early years, children enjoy the activities provided and are well cared for, with achievements recognized and celebrated. The Reception Year curriculum is well-structured, but the Nursery curriculum lacks detail regarding interim milestones for children's learning.
The school's personal development program is well-planned, focusing on personal, social, and health education, but the delivery of spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development activities is not strategically organized, limiting its effectiveness. The multi-academy trust overseeing the school has a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and has taken steps to address areas needing improvement. Recent leadership changes have increased the capacity for improvement, and leaders are ambitious about driving positive change.
Engagement with parents and carers is a priority, but participation in school events is low, indicating a need for better strategies to involve families in their children's education. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders acting swiftly on concerns and maintaining thorough records, although some follow-up actions are not consistently documented.
To improve, the school must ensure that the new curriculum is consistently implemented across all subjects, enabling pupils to learn and retain the intended content. Plans for students with special educational needs should be concise and comprehensive, accurately reflecting the support required. Leaders need to monitor and evaluate incidents of low-level behavior to address emerging issues promptly. Additionally, safeguarding records should be detailed and complete, and strategies to engage parents must be enhanced to foster a collaborative educational environment.
