Leadenham Church of England Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 June 2025

Pupils enjoy attending this school and show interest in its broad, ambitious curriculum. The school expects high achievement. However, pupils are not yet reaching the standards they should. Pupils feel happy and safe at school. Staff teach kindness and respect. Pupils write about their positive actions on a leaf for the 'kindness tree'. Clear routines and high expectations help pupils behave well and stay focused in class. They listen well in assembly, reflecting thoughtfully on the school's values. Pupils often play cooperatively at social times. The school has improved how it supports pupils with their behaviour. However, expectations vary. Sometimes, staff do not address poor behaviour effectively or provide consistent support. This inconsistency makes it harder for pupils to follow the school's values and expectations. The school offers many opportunities to support pupils' personal growth. Trips to a farm, theme park, sports events, and a residential visit build character and widen pupils' experiences. Pupils looked forward to watching a tennis match at Wimbledon. They learn that resilience means not giving up. Staff teach responsibility. Pupils take active roles as sports ambassadors, school councillors or litter pickers. Several clubs based on pupils' ideas enable them to explore their interests and build confidence.

What the school should improve

• The school and the trust have not ensured that the weaknesses in the quality of education have been tackled swiftly enough. This means that pupils do not experience a good standard of education. The school and the trust must ensure that the actions required to improve the provision for pupils are implemented in a timely manner.
• The school has not ensured that all staff have the necessary expertise to deliver the phonics programme effectively and provide consistently effective support when pupils fall behind. This means some pupils do not progress with learning to read as well as they could. The school must ensure that staff have the expertise to teach phonics and reading effectively.
• This school has not identified the support pupils with SEND need clearly enough. This means that staff cannot adapt their teaching to help these pupils overcome their barriers to learning. Consequently, pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that the targets for pupils with SEND are appropriate and that the support provided enables them to achieve well.
• The school has not made clear what its expectations for pupils' conduct are or how pupils can achieve these expectations. This means some pupils find it difficult to behave as the school expects and learning is routinely disrupted. The school and the trust must ensure that pupils are supported well to live up to consistently high standards of behaviour.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)