Lakeside Primary Academy

Lakeside Primary Academy is a caring, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and a strong sense of belonging, including those who join from countries around the world. Behaviour has improved significantly since the previous inspection, pupils are polite and positive, and personal development is a clear strength through the Harmony Pledge and opportunities for leadership, volunteering and fundraising. Early years provision is strong, with children getting off to a good start in phonics, vocabulary and routines, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. However, the quality of education is not yet good enough. The trust's Harmony Model Curriculum is well organised and sequenced, and teaching is strongest in the early years and mathematics, but delivery is inconsistent across other subjects. Too many pupils do not know and remember the intended curriculum, and some do not read fluently because phonics teaching beyond Reception lacks sufficient expertise. A small number of pupils with SEND are not receiving a broad and balanced curriculum. Leadership and management also require improvement. Leaders have addressed many concerns from the 2022 inspection, and the trust provides considerable support and appropriate challenge, but there is more to do. Attendance has improved and staff are proud to work at the school, although some parents are unhappy with communication and do not feel sufficiently involved. The school is part of The Harmony Trust and has an additionally resourced unit for pupils with complex SEND needs.

Strengths

• Warm, caring and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and a strong sense of belonging
• Significantly improved behaviour and positive attitudes, with pupils showing good manners and empathy
• Strong personal development offer through the Harmony Pledge, leadership roles and community responsibility
• Pupils embrace diversity and treat others with respect
• Well-organised and sequenced Harmony Model Curriculum that builds knowledge logically over time
• Strong early years provision with clear routines, vocabulary development and a good start in phonics
• Effective mathematics teaching that checks recall and provides clear explanations
• A strong reading culture that helps pupils develop a love of books
• Accurate identification of SEND and generally effective adaptation of the curriculum
• Improved attendance and effective safeguarding arrangements
• Staff are proud to work at the school and value leaders' consideration of workload and well-being
• The trust provides considerable support and appropriate challenge

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is inconsistent across subjects, so not enough pupils achieve well
• Pupils are not consistently prepared for the next stage of education
• A small number of pupils with SEND do not access a broad and balanced curriculum
• Phonics teaching beyond the early years lacks sufficient expertise
• Too many pupils do not develop secure phonics knowledge or read fluently and confidently
• Some parents are dissatisfied with the school's communication and do not feel confident in the education provided
• Leaders have not ensured staff have the skills to deliver the intended curriculum consistently

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 Academy attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.1% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Lakeside Primary 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 Lakeside Primary Academy had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.2% 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, 21.4% of pupils at Lakeside Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.3% 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 Academy received £7,983 and spent £8,146 for each of its 594 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £833,000 (-£1,403 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of The Harmony Trust Ltd, income was £7,256 and spending £7,263 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 Derby · Derby local authority: places and applications

Lakeside Primary Academy is part of The Harmony Trust Ltd, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Alvaston Junior Academy Derby
• Village Primary Academy Derby
• Cavendish Close Junior Academy Derby
• Cottons Farm Primary Academy Derby
• Ash Croft Primary Academy Derby
• Carlyle Infant and Nursery Academy Derby
• Reigate Park Primary Academy Derby
• Hackwood Primary Academy Derby
• Greenfield Primary Academy Cheshire
• Alt Academy Oldham

What is Lakeside Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lakeside Primary Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Lakeside Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Lakeside Primary Academy was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Lakeside Primary Academy have?

Lakeside Primary Academy has 543 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lakeside Primary Academy cover?

Lakeside Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lakeside Primary Academy?

Lakeside Primary Academy is at 877 London Road, Alvaston, Derby, DE24 8UY.