Lakeside Primary School

Lakeside Primary School is performing well overall, reflecting significant improvements since its last inspection. The school offers a warm and welcoming environment, fostering pride and confidence among students. Leadership is strong, with clear ambition for students to excel in their education, evident in the effective implementation of an engaging and well-structured curriculum. Parents express high levels of satisfaction with the positive changes implemented by the headteacher and staff.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming environment with strong community values.
• Ambitious curriculum that engages students across a wide range of subjects.
• Strong focus on reading, fostering confidence and fluency among pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, leading to positive learning experiences.
• High expectations for pupil behavior, ensuring a safe and respectful atmosphere.
• Strong leadership with proactive governance supporting school improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• Science curriculum needs to be developed further to build on prior knowledge.
• Inconsistent adaptation of the curriculum for pupils with SEND.
• Some older pupils have knowledge gaps due to previous curriculum weaknesses.

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 Lakeside Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Lakeside 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 Lakeside Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.4% 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, 11.0% of pupils at Lakeside Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Lakeside Primary School received £6,339 and spent £6,226 for each of its 511 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £262,000 (£513 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 Cheltenham · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Lakeside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lakeside Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Lakeside Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lakeside Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Lakeside Primary School have?

Lakeside Primary School has 511 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lakeside Primary School cover?

Lakeside Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lakeside Primary School?

Lakeside Primary School is at Hatherley Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 6HR.