Ley Top Primary School

Ley Top Primary School is a larger-than-average primary in a highly deprived area with a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals. Following several years of leadership and governance turbulence, new leaders have stabilised the school with local authority support. They have a clear vision, and staff, pupils and parents welcome the positive changes. Safeguarding is effective, pupils feel safe, behaviour has improved, and attendance is beginning to improve, though overall attendance and persistent absence remain well below national averages. However, the school requires significant improvement because pupils' achievement is too low. Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 is consistently below national averages, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. Teaching is not consistently effective: teachers' subject knowledge is sometimes weak, misconceptions go unchecked, and tasks often do not build on prior learning or meet pupils' needs. The curriculum is generally sequenced, but it is not delivered well enough, and pupils leave without the essential knowledge and skills for secondary school. Other areas need attention. Early years provision is improving but the curriculum lacks clarity in some areas, including physical development, and staff interactions do not consistently extend children's language. Inclusion systems identify pupils with SEND accurately, but support is not consistently effective. Pupils' understanding of equality, diversity and fundamental British values is underdeveloped. Attendance, behaviour and personal development have positive foundations, but progress is at an early stage and further precise action is needed to raise achievement quickly.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe because of positive, trusting relationships with staff.
• Leaders have stabilised the school after significant turbulence and have a clear vision for improvement.
• Behaviour has improved: the school is generally calm, pupils follow the new rules, and bullying is increasingly rare.
• Attendance is beginning to improve, with some pupils attending more regularly and punctually.
• Pastoral support is increasingly effective, including emotional regulation sessions and targeted interventions.
• Personal, social and health education is fit for purpose, and pupils understand how to stay safe, including online.
• Pupils now have increased access to extracurricular activities, including school trips and sports clubs.
• Leaders identify barriers faced by disadvantaged pupils and use additional funding appropriately.
• Specialist support and positive relationships with families and agencies enhance inclusive provision.
• Staff benefit from more regular, focused professional learning, and leaders consider staff workload.
• Early years staff build positive relationships with children and parents and establish clear routines.
• Governors have appropriate skills and knowledge, and meet their statutory duties.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is consistently below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve less well than disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, do not secure the essential knowledge and skills needed for their next steps.
• Phonics achievement is variable, and pupils do not learn vital reading skills well enough.
• Older pupils have insufficient opportunities to read regularly, affecting fluency.
• Gaps in multiplication tables and number skills limit pupils' mathematical efficiency and are not always addressed.
• Teaching weaknesses mean pupils do not secure the knowledge they need and misconceptions persist.
• Teachers lack sufficient subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum effectively, including incorrect phonics sounds.
• Learning tasks are often too hard or do not meet pupils' needs, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils with SEND have gaps in learning and are not supported quickly or well enough to catch up.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not receive consistently effective support to overcome barriers.
• The early years curriculum lacks clarity in some areas, such as fine motor skills, so children are not ready for Year 1.
• Staff interactions in early years do not consistently extend children's language and speaking skills.
• Overall attendance is consistently below national averages, and persistent absence remains high.
• Leaders' attendance analysis needs to be more precise and targeted to speed improvement.
• Some pupils do not actively participate in lessons because teaching quality is inconsistent.
• Pupils' understanding of equality, diversity, fundamental British values and protected characteristics is underdeveloped.
• Participation in school clubs remains inconsistent for pupils facing additional barriers.
• Governance systems for addressing weaknesses with urgency and rigour are at an early stage.
• A small number of pupils report that bullying and discriminatory language still occur occasionally.
• Many pupils do not enjoy learning, and many do not like reading.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Ley Top Primary School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.2% of pupils at Ley Top Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Ley Top Primary School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.0% of pupils at Ley Top Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Ley Top Primary School received £8,360 and spent £7,858 for each of its 328 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £296,000 (£901 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is Ley Top Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ley Top Primary School is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Ley Top Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ley Top Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Ley Top Primary School have?

Ley Top Primary School has 338 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ley Top Primary School cover?

Ley Top Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Ley Top Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 40% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ley Top Primary School?

Ley Top Primary School is at Avenel Road, Allerton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD15 7PQ.