Alwoodley Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. The headteacher is a leader of the highest quality who, with a highly effective team of senior and other leaders, relentlessly pursues excellence in all areas of the school's work.

This constant drive to continuously improve is an exceptional example for pupils. The school puts the learning and well-being of its pupils at the heart of all its thinking and planning. Consequently, pupils' attainment is consistently high and their achievement in English, mathematics, information and communication technology (ICT) and science is outstanding.

Teaching is outstanding because teachers' meticulous planning ensures that pupils of all abil...ities undertake and enjoy solving exciting and interesting tasks; these tasks make them work hard to think for themselves. Exceptionally, teachers' marking does not always provide pupils with enough guidance on how they can improve further in some subjects. Children get an excellent start to their schooling because of the outstanding provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are exemplary. They are highly motivated to reach the high standards expected by staff. Relationships with each other and respect for all are excellent.

Pupils are rightly proud of their school. They feel safe and parents are overwhelmingly positive in their praise for the school. There is outstanding provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Pupils demonstrate strengths in art, music, physical education and in their awareness of the religions and cultures of others. The governing body is exceptionally knowledgeable about the school's strengths and priorities for improvement. Systems for checking the quality of the school's work are highly effective.

Rigorous evaluations of performance coupled with extensive opportunities for staff training ensure that the quality of teaching goes from strength to strength.

Information about this school

This is a larger-than-average sized primary school, with two classes in each year group. More than half of pupils come from a wide range of minority ethnic heritages, and this proportion is higher than usual.

Almost a quarter of pupils speak English as an additional language, and this proportion is higher than average. However, few pupils are at an early stage of learning English. There are fewer girls than boys in the school overall and the proportion of boys is particularly high in some year groups.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is much lower than average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is slightly below average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after).

The school exceeds the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics. The school provides a breakfast club for its pupils. There is a privately managed pre-school on site which was not part of this inspection.

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