Leven Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 April 2026

The school provides a harmonious, happy and caring place for pupils to learn. Relationships between pupils and staff are deeply respectful. Pupils know their teachers care about them. This means that pupils feel safe and supported. Leaders have created a school community in which pupils feel they belong. The school’s vision, ‘Together we shine as one’, is realised in the pride pupils and staff have in their school and their collective achievements. Leaders have made many positive changes to the school in a short space of time. However, these changes have not had enough time to impact on pupils’ outcomes by the time they leave. Younger pupils do not consistently make the progress they could in their written work. This is because weaknesses in pupils’ handwriting, spelling and grammar are not addressed quickly enough. Pupils attend regularly and enjoy an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum. They are committed and enthusiastic learners. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. This starts in the early years, where children try hard and take pride in their work. Incidents of poor behaviour and bullying are incredibly rare. The school’s values of kindness, respect and perseverance are realised through pupils’ positive attitudes to their learning and each other. Teachers make appropriate adaptations to their teaching for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Despite this, the support provided is not monitored closely enough. As a result, some of the targets and approaches that the school uses to support pupils with SEND are not as impactful as they could be. Pupils take part in a range of extra-curricular creative, artistic and sporting activities. They represent their peers through democratically elected roles, such as school councillors and global ambassadors. These experiences extend pupils' talents and interests. They help pupils to become socially responsible and active citizens, ready for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that they more closely monitor the impact of support provided to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that they understand its impact and can use this information to ensure the targets set for these pupils are more precisely matched to their needs.
• Leaders should ensure that more consistently effective teaching ensures that younger pupils secure the essential foundational skills in handwriting, spelling and grammar before they leave key stage 1.
• Leaders should ensure that improvements to the curriculum and teaching are securely embedded and lead to improved pupil achievement by the end of key stage 2, particularly at the higher standard.

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