Lakeside Primary School

Lakeside Primary School is a small, inclusive primary school in the Mercia Primary Academy Trust. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is performing strongly overall, with personal development and wellbeing a standout strength. Pupils feel safe, cared for and respected, and relationships between staff and pupils are warm. Pastoral support, nurture provision, Guardian Groups and a wide range of clubs, trips and community activities are notable strengths, helping pupils build confidence, resilience and an understanding of diversity and British values. Most other areas are at the expected standard. Pupils' combined key stage 2 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are above the national average over time, with reading a particular strength, especially for disadvantaged pupils. Attendance is broadly positive, persistent absence is below national averages, and pupils generally behave well in a calm, orderly environment. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced, early years provision gives children a positive start, and pupils with SEND are well supported and typically make appropriate progress. Leaders have improved phonics and foundational mathematics and have created a positive, inclusive culture. The main areas for development are that learning is not consistently adapted well enough in all subjects and classes, particularly for the most able pupils, so some do not deepen their understanding or work at greater depth. A small number of pupils still do not attend regularly enough, and leaders' analysis of attendance and behaviour information is not always precise enough to show which strategies are working. Disadvantaged pupils' combined outcomes also remain below national non-disadvantaged averages, with gaps in writing and mathematics.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Personal development and wellbeing are a standout strength and central to the school's work.
• Pupils feel safe, cared for and respected in an inclusive school community.
• Highly effective pastoral support, nurture provision and family support help pupils feel secure.
• Guardian Groups, clubs, trips and community fundraising build confidence, resilience and responsibility.
• Pupils understand equality, relationships, diversity, tolerance and fundamental British values.
• Key stage 2 combined outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are above national averages over time.
• Reading is a particular strength, especially for disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils generally build knowledge securely and take pride in their work.
• Pupils with SEND are carefully identified and typically make appropriate progress from their starting points.
• Phonics and foundational mathematics teaching has improved pupils' fluency and confidence.
• Attendance is broadly positive and persistent absence is below national averages.
• Behaviour expectations are clear and pupils generally behave respectfully in a calm, orderly environment.
• Bullying is rare and staff deal with concerns quickly.
• The curriculum is ambitious, carefully ordered and has a clear emphasis on reading, phonics, vocabulary, writing and mathematics.
• Teaching is generally clear, with a consistent focus on vocabulary and sentence construction.
• Early years provision gives children a positive start and prepares most well for Year 1.
• The school is inclusive and works effectively with external agencies to reduce barriers for pupils and families.
• Leaders care deeply, staff value professional development, and the culture is positive and supportive.
• Governors and trust leaders provide appropriate support and challenge and fulfil statutory duties.

Areas for Improvement

• Learning is not consistently adapted well enough in all subjects and classes.
• The most able pupils are not always extended sufficiently, limiting opportunities to work at greater depth.
• Some pupils complete work too quickly when it is too easy, reducing deeper learning.
• Practice is not consistently strong across all subjects and classes.
• Some pupils lose focus while waiting for further guidance or additional activities.
• Leaders' analysis of attendance and behaviour information sometimes lacks precision.
• It is not always clear whether attendance and behaviour strategies are having the intended impact.
• A small number of pupils do not attend school regularly enough.
• Disadvantaged pupils' combined outcomes remain below national non-disadvantaged averages, with gaps in writing and mathematics.

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 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.6% 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, 1.5% 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 26.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 11.6% of pupils at Lakeside Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 Lakeside Primary School received £7,140 and spent £6,426 for each of its 196 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £303,000 (£1,548 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Mercia Primary Academy Trust, income was £7,171 and spending £6,390 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 Tamworth · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

Lakeside Primary School is part of Mercia Primary Academy Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Flax Hill Junior Academy Tamworth
• Lark Hall Infant & Nursery Academy Tamworth

What is Lakeside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lakeside Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Lakeside Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lakeside Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Lakeside Primary School have?

Lakeside Primary School has 224 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lakeside Primary School cover?

Lakeside Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lakeside Primary School?

Lakeside Primary School is at Leyland Road, Glascote, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B77 2SA.