Leedon Lower School

Leedon Lower School requires significant improvement because pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Safeguarding standards are met. The school is emerging from a period of leadership turbulence, with a new senior team appointed in early 2026. Leaders have an accurate understanding of what needs to improve and are acting at pace, supported by the local authority and an external advisor. Their actions have already had a positive impact on behaviour and attendance. There are notable strengths, including improved attendance for some groups, a significant reduction in suspensions, strong pastoral care, and happy, settled children in early years. However, achievement and the quality of curriculum and teaching require urgent improvement. Pupils have major gaps in reading, writing and mathematics that are not closing quickly. Phonics and multiplication outcomes are significantly below national averages. Teaching is not well adapted, expectations are low, and assessment does not inform next steps. Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are particularly poorly served. Early years, inclusion, personal development, and leadership and governance all need attention. The pre-school curriculum is not detailed enough, wider opportunities are limited, and PSHE is not taught well. Governors are beginning to improve oversight but it is early days. The school knows what needs to be done; the priority is to raise expectations, close gaps urgently, and ensure new strategies are consistently applied so that pupils are better prepared for middle school.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and no risk to pupils.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's weaknesses and are prioritising the right improvements.
• Leaders' actions have already improved behaviour and attendance.
• Persistent absence has reduced, especially for pupils with SEND and those eligible for pupil premium.
• Suspensions have reduced significantly as social, emotional and mental health needs are addressed.
• Pastoral care is a strength, with a nurturing approach and therapeutic support.
• Pupils who access wellbeing interventions show improved wellbeing, attendance and behaviour.
• Children in early years are happy, safe, confident and curious, and settle well into routines.
• Pupils with SEND have increased attendance, reduced anxiety and more settled behaviour.
• The school liaises well with external agencies for specialist advice.
• Staff find new leaders approachable and mindful of workload, and parents are supportive.
• Pupils love sport and team games, and enjoy visits and the Year 4 residential.
• Bullying and discriminatory behaviour are effectively addressed when they occur.
• Pupils can recall how to stay safe online and understand 'ready, respectful and safe'.

Areas for Improvement

• Overall school requires significant improvement and pupils do not achieve as well as they should.
• Attendance overall remains below national averages, though improving.
• Some pupils quickly disengage in class without much consequence.
• Breaktimes lack structured activities, leading to over-zealous play that some pupils find unnerving.
• Pre-school curriculum is not detailed enough to prepare children for Reception.
• Ambitious vocabulary use is inconsistent in early years.
• Staff interactions sometimes do not deepen children's understanding.
• Main early years provision has fewer suitable adaptations for children with SEND.
• Some pupils start Year 1 with gaps in early reading, writing and mathematics.
• Systems to oversee SEND achievement are not working as intended.
• SEND targets are too broad and not matched to needs; pupils make little or no progress.
• Staff are not sure how best to support pupils with SEND in class.
• Strategies for disadvantaged pupils are not implemented effectively in class.
• Leadership monitoring is not sharp enough, including subject leader checks and safeguarding concern reporting.
• Governors' strategic oversight is at an early stage and needs tightening.
• PSHE/RSE is not taught as well as intended, limiting pupils' understanding of democracy, stereotypes, religions and cultures.
• Wider opportunities for music, art, digital technology and leadership are limited.
• Leaders do not monitor participation of SEND/pupil premium pupils in wider opportunities.
• Pupils' phonics and multiplication outcomes are significantly below national averages.
• Major gaps in reading, writing and mathematics are not closed quickly or urgently.
• Reading books are not well matched to pupils' phonics knowledge.
• Pupils make repeated errors in spelling, grammar, letter and number formation; handwriting is hard to read.
• Pupils struggle to recall learning across subjects and are insufficiently prepared for middle school.
• Curriculum and teaching require urgent improvement with low expectations and poor assessment use.
• Staff do not adapt learning activities to match pupils' varying needs.
• New teaching strategies are not applied as leaders intend.
• Phonics teaching is not consistently effective.

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 Leedon Lower School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.9% 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, 2.5% of pupils at Leedon Lower 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 Leedon Lower School had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.5% 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 Leedon Lower 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 Leedon Lower School received £6,822 and spent £7,154 for each of its 348 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £247,000 (-£711 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Leighton Buzzard · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Leedon Lower School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Leedon Lower School is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Leedon Lower School last inspected by Ofsted?

Leedon Lower School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Leedon Lower School have?

Leedon Lower School has 368 pupils on roll.

What age range does Leedon Lower School cover?

Leedon Lower School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Leedon Lower School?

Leedon Lower School is at Highfield Road, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 3LZ.