Ley Top Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 April 2026

Pupils at Ley Top have received an unacceptable quality of education over the last few years. Significant changes in leadership historically have led to inconsistencies in the way the curriculum is delivered. Pupils do not secure the important knowledge they need to communicate, read, write and use mathematics successfully. Too many pupils do not achieve well over time, including in national curriculum tests. Many pupils leave school without the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in secondary school. Historically, the school’s ambition and expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are too low. Pupils with SEND have not received a high-quality education. A number of pupils do not enjoy learning. For example, many pupils do not like reading. Pupils do not appreciate the benefits of reading and have limited opportunities in school to extend their knowledge of high-quality texts. New leaders have clarity and vision about what is needed to improve the school. This is warmly welcomed by staff, pupils and parents and carers. They are deeply committed to making the improvements needed. Pupils are beginning to benefit from leaders' actions and this is evident in some areas of the school. Pupils’ behaviour now more regularly meets the school’s new rules of 'ready, respectful and responsible'. As a result, the school is generally calm. Bullying is increasingly rare. If it does occur, staff deal with it well. Pupils feel safe because they have positive, trusting relationships with staff. Over time, pupils do not attend school as well as they should. There are signs of recent improvements in attendance and pupils feel encouraged to attend school more regularly. Leaders are focused on ensuring that pupils' experiences continue to improve. Pupils enjoy experiences such as swimming in the on-site pool which helps improve their water safety skills. They also speak positively about the new ‘irresistible’ curriculum trips, such as a visit to a science museum, which are funded by the school to ensure all pupils can be included.

What the school should improve

• Leaders must ensure that teachers have the subject knowledge and skills needed to identify and address gaps in pupils’ essential knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics, and to plan learning that builds securely on pupils’ prior knowledge in order to raise attainment.
• Leaders should ensure that disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive consistently effective support to overcome any barriers to learning and make better progress from their starting points.
• Leaders should continue to implement and evaluate their attendance strategy to improve pupils’ attendance and reduce persistent absence.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a clear understanding of equality and diversity, including their knowledge of fundamental British values and the protected characteristics.
• Leaders, including governors, should continue to develop a rigorous approach to identifying weaknesses in provision and the underlying causes and use this information to make sustainable improvements quickly and effectively.
• Leaders should ensure that staff interactions with children, including modelling, scaffolding and extending vocabulary, are of a consistently high quality across the early years to develop children's communication and language skills more effectively.

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