Lime Academy Larkswood

Lime Academy Larkswood demonstrates good overall effectiveness, with strong leadership and a well-designed curriculum that supports pupil learning. Pupils feel happy and safe, exhibiting positive behaviors in a calm and purposeful classroom environment. The school focuses on a broad curriculum where teachers are subject experts, providing clarity in their teaching. There is a particular emphasis on reading, with effective phonics instruction in place to help pupils enhance their literacy skills. However, areas that require further attention include the early years curriculum and the expansion of extracurricular opportunities for pupils, which have been limited due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and safe in school.
• High expectations for pupil behavior with clear routines.
• Teachers are subject experts and deliver the curriculum effectively.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Well-established reading and phonics program.
• Broad curriculum with regular opportunities for teachers to check pupil understanding.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years curriculum needs improvement for better preparedness for Year 1.
• Limited range of extracurricular clubs and enrichment opportunities.

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 Lime Academy Larkswood attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.3% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Lime Academy Larkswood 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 Lime Academy Larkswood had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 41.0% 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, 7.8% of pupils at Lime Academy Larkswood 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 2024–25 Lime Academy Larkswood received £7,978 and spent £9,506 for each of its 574 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,241,000 (£2,164 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Lime Trust, income was £16,022 and spending £15,651 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 Waltham Forest · Waltham Forest local authority: places and applications

Lime Academy Larkswood is part of Lime Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Lime Academy Hornbeam London
• Lime Academy Ravensbourne Romford
• Lime Academy Forest Approach Romford
• Lime Academy Hartwell Luton
• Lime Academy Orton Peterborough
• Lime Academy Abbotsmede Peterborough
• Lime Academy Parnwell Peterborough
• Lime Academy Watergall Peterborough

What is Lime Academy Larkswood's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lime Academy Larkswood is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Lime Academy Larkswood last inspected by Ofsted?

Lime Academy Larkswood was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Lime Academy Larkswood have?

Lime Academy Larkswood has 510 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lime Academy Larkswood cover?

Lime Academy Larkswood for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Lime Academy Larkswood's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lime Academy Larkswood?

Lime Academy Larkswood is at New Road, London, E4 8ET.