Coleman Primary School

Coleman Primary School is a caring, orderly school where pupils feel safe and happy, behave well and benefit from strong personal development. The curriculum is broad and ambitious and has been re-sequenced, and reading, writing and mathematics have been prioritised; however, teaching quality remains too variable, so not all pupils, including those with SEND, achieve as well as they should. Foundation subjects are less secure, with some teachers not using curriculum information or addressing missed learning well enough, leaving gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Leadership and management and early years provision require improvement. The Nursery supports language and communication well and Reception children begin phonics promptly, but Reception activities are inconsistently implemented and do not consistently provide meaningful learning. Subject leadership capacity is still developing. Behaviour and pastoral care are strengths, including a calm environment, effective attendance work and good support for pupils’ social and emotional needs. Governance is strengthening and staff workload is considered. Safeguarding is effective. The school has had a new headteacher and assistant headteacher since the last inspection, and parents increasingly recognise that it is improving.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, happy and well cared for, with positive relationships with staff.
• Pupils behave well and the school is calm and orderly.
• Pupils are accepting of others and celebrate different cultures and faiths.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and logically sequenced.
• Reading, writing and mathematics have been prioritised for improvement.
• Pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported to access the curriculum.
• Science teaching helps pupils build detailed knowledge and accounts for missed learning.
• Nursery provision develops children’s language and communication well.
• Reception children start phonics promptly and reading books are well matched to their sounds.
• Pupils develop a love of reading and their reading ability is checked carefully.
• Pastoral care helps pupils, including those with social and emotional needs, regulate their behaviour.
• Personal development prepares pupils to be responsible citizens through activities such as the school council and house system.
• Governance is strengthening, with newer governors using their expertise to support and challenge leaders.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching in reading, writing and mathematics remains too variable, so some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.
• Some teachers do not use curriculum information well in foundation subjects, leading to gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
• Teachers in some subjects do not account sufficiently for missed learning from previous years.
• Reception Year activities are inconsistently implemented and do not consistently provide meaningful learning.
• Some subject leaders need further professional development to monitor and evaluate curriculum impact accurately.
• The quality of education is not yet consistently good across the school.
• Leadership and management require improvement.
• Early years provision requires improvement, particularly in Reception.

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 Coleman Primary School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.1% 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 Coleman 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 Coleman Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% 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, 23.1% of pupils at Coleman Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% 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 Coleman Primary School received £7,392 and spent £8,229 for each of its 449 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £73,000 (-£163 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 Leicester · Leicester local authority: places and applications

What is Coleman Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Coleman Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Coleman Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Coleman Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Coleman Primary School have?

Coleman Primary School has 450 pupils on roll.

What age range does Coleman Primary School cover?

Coleman Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Coleman Primary School?

Coleman Primary School is at Gwendolen Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 5FS.