Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School

Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School is a large primary school that is performing at the expected standard across all inspected areas, with safeguarding met. Inspectors found a caring, inclusive school where pupils feel valued and safe, attendance is above national averages, and early years children settle quickly and learn well. Leadership is a notable strength: leaders know the school and community, monitor provision carefully, and governance provides effective support and challenge. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, including in mathematics, and personal development is broad, with strong pastoral support and enrichment such as The Calm Cabin and the '60 by 6' experiences. The main concerns are inconsistencies in curriculum implementation. In some subjects, pupils cannot recall prior learning and have gaps in knowledge, and teachers do not always check what pupils already know before moving on. Writing and handwriting are not consistently well taught, with misconceptions in letter formation and grammar sometimes missed. Behaviour routines and early years interactions are positive in many places but not consistently strong across all classes, and key stage 2 outcomes vary, with reading below national in 2024/25 and a persistent disadvantaged gap. The school has no significant changes since its March 2022 inspection and has no resourced SEND provision. Leaders have a clear improvement agenda: they should continue supporting teachers to implement the curriculum consistently, use assessment to build on prior knowledge, improve handwriting, and ensure all early years staff engage children in high-quality interactions so that all pupils achieve as highly as they can.

Strengths

• Inclusive and caring culture where pupils feel valued and safe
• Attendance is above national averages with effective systems to secure it
• Early years provision is coherent, purposeful and prepares children well for Year 1
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, including above national in mathematics
• Strong pastoral support, including The Calm Cabin and bespoke programmes
• Broad personal development and enrichment, including clubs and the '60 by 6' experiences
• Leaders know the school well and governance provides effective support and challenge
• Staff adapt learning well for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those who speak English as an additional language
• Pupils behave well and bullying is rare
• Reading and mathematics teaching checks learning and addresses gaps quickly
• Curriculum is well sequenced with a clear focus on vocabulary and communication

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent in some subjects
• Pupils cannot recall prior learning and have knowledge gaps in some subjects
• Teachers do not always check what pupils already know before moving on
• Handwriting and letter formation misconceptions are not consistently addressed
• Key stage 2 outcomes vary and are not consistently in line with national averages
• Reading outcomes were below national in 2024/25
• A disadvantage gap remains across reading, writing and mathematics
• Behaviour routines are not consistently positive across all classes
• Some early years staff interactions are not consistently high quality
• Some pupils remain persistently absent, although leaders provide effective support

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 Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.1% 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, 0.1% of pupils at Alderman Richard Hallam 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 Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.2% 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, 11.7% of pupils at Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School received £6,481 and spent £6,490 for each of its 856 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £38,000 (£44 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 Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School have?

Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School has 881 pupils on roll.

What age range does Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School cover?

Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School?

Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School is at Avebury Avenue, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE4 0FQ.