Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy

Culloden Primary – A Paradigm Academy is a calm, friendly and inclusive school where pupils feel safe and achieve exceptionally well. Inspectors found the quality of provision to be of the highest standard across education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. The school's ambitious curriculum is well sequenced from the early years, teaching is skilful, and pupils—including those with SEND and deaf pupils in the specialist support base—access learning confidently and succeed. Behaviour is impeccable, attendance has improved, and a rich enrichment offer supports pupils' wider development. The school is very well led, with strong trust oversight and happy, well-supported staff. Phonics is taught effectively from Reception, reading is promoted enthusiastically, and support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND is a notable strength. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it had not been inspected under section 5 since 2015. It is part of Paradigm Trust and includes a deaf support base. No areas for improvement were identified in the report.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious and inspiring curriculum that builds knowledge exceptionally well from the early years
• Excellent teaching, explanations and modelling across subjects
• Strong inclusive culture with expert support for pupils with SEND, including deaf pupils
• Well-established and effectively delivered phonics programme with strong reading practice
• Impeccable pupil behaviour and high levels of respect and inclusion
• Improved attendance and persistent work to address underlying causes of absence
• Rich enrichment and personal development opportunities, including meaningful leadership roles
• Very well led and managed, with strong trust oversight and support for staff
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.3% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy 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 Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.7% 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, 7.9% of pupils at Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.5% 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 2024–25 Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy received £10,452 and spent £10,482 for each of its 599 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £542,000 (£905 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Paradigm Trust, income was £10,029 and spending £10,015 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Tower Hamlets · Tower Hamlets local authority: places and applications

Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy is part of Paradigm Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Solebay Primary - A Paradigm Academy London
• Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy London
• Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm Academy Ipswich
• Ipswich Academy Ipswich
• Murrayfield Primary - A Paradigm Academy Ipswich
• Woodbridge Road Academy Ipswich

What is Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy have?

Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy has 623 pupils on roll.

What age range does Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy cover?

Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy?

Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy is at Dee Street, Poplar, London, E14 0PT.