Leesons Primary School

Inspection of Leesons Primary School Leesons Hill, St Paul’s Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 2GA

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is Gordon Jamieson. This school is part of The Spring Partnership Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the co-chief executive officers (CEOs), Gulcin Sesli and Corinne Sheehan, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Cliff. 24 and 25 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leesons Primary School has undergone a period of significant change. The recently appointed headteacher has brought greater stability. The school, supported by trust leaders, has brought in many well-considered changes. Most parents and carers recognise that the school is on an improving journey. Pupils have benefited from raised expectations of what they can achieve. However, the very recent nature of this work means that pupils are not yet fully benefiting from these improvements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils typically show positive attitudes to their learning and listen attentively to staff. Routines are now clearly understood and followed. Staff and pupils report how new procedures and expectations are becoming embedded and have resulted in a more calm and orderly school environment. Pupils enjoy their learning and are kept safe in school. The school has a clear focus on promoting good attendance and punctuality. It has worked hard to ensure that it is a welcoming place to be. As a result, the rate of absence is reducing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are a range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils are offered inspirational enrichment through partnerships with professional organisations, particularly in music and sport. Pupils take part in extra-curricular clubs that help build their character and resilience.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Recently, pupils’ achievement has been well below national expectations. The school has made positive changes to the curriculum as a result. These improvements mean that pupils’ achievement is greater than it was, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and the high numbers of disadvantaged pupils at the school. The curriculum is now appropriately broad and ambitious. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of these changes on pupils’ outcomes.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils are encouraged to be active participants in their learning, for example, when sharing their ideas through discussion. Teachers check pupils can recall prior learning. However, they do not routinely address gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding with precision. At times, the school provides pupils with work that does not build effectively on what they know. The school are taking steps to improve the support staff receive to deliver the curriculum. However, there remains too much variability in consistency of teaching across the school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children start learning to read as soon as they join the school. Recent improvements to the quality of phonics teaching are having a positive impact. Expectations are higher, and pupils who need extra help get effective support. The school’s phonics programme is well organised and provides the content required to support pupils’ reading. Staff receive coaching support to help them develop their practice.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

From the early years, routines are established and followed. This enables children to develop their independence. Staff support children well. Most adult-led activities model 24 and 25 June 2025

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new learning effectively and help children to develop their language and communication skills. Staff are adept at teaching new skills. They provide activities which encourage children to explore further the new aspects of learning.

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Recent changes to the way in which the school identifies and supports pupils with SEND are making a real difference. Support plans for individual pupils are precise and reviewed regularly. Staff have received recent training to help them support pupils well in their learning. They make well-considered adaptations to the curriculum to enable all pupils to benefit.

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The school is tenacious in its work to understand any causes of absence and to remove any barriers to pupils attending well. This work is proving effective. Pupils have generally positive attitudes to learning and work well together in lessons. The school provides well- considered support for pupils that need help to manage their own behaviour. Most pupils respond well to this help. Staff recognise the recent, positive changes, such as the reduction of low-level disruption during lesson times.

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Pupils are provided with a range of high-quality enrichment opportunities, including curriculum related trips. These help pupils broaden their outlook and develop their confidence. Pupils understand the importance of respecting and celebrating the differences between people. Through roles such as sports captains, school council and eco-school, pupils speak with passion about the opportunities they have to develop leadership skills.

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Leaders have recognised that periods of change can place additional demands on staff. They consider their well-being and workload carefully before any change is made. As a result, staff are extremely positive about working at the school. The school is developing leaders at all levels to enable them to check how well the changes to the curriculum have led to improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils’ outcomes are not yet consistently good in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, too many pupils are not made sufficiently ready for their next steps. The school must continue to develop consistent and effective pedagogical approaches, ensuring that all staff develop the specific subject expertise that they need, so that outcomes improve for all groups of pupils.  Staff do not routinely use assessment effectively to check that pupils understand and remember what they have learned previously. Planned activities and sequences of 24 and 25 June 2025

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lessons do not, therefore, build effectively on pupils’ prior knowledge. The school should ensure that assessment accurately checks pupils’ current knowledge and understanding and that appropriate adaptations to the curriculum are made in response

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 24 and 25 June 2025

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School details

CEO of the trust Gulcin Sesli (co-CEO) Corinne Sheehan (co-CEO) Headteacher Gordon Jamieson

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher was appointed in January 2025.  The school is part of The Spring Partnership Trust. The school became a part of this multi-academy trust in 2016.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provider.  The school runs its own breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years provision). Schools 24 and 25 June 2025

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receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of parents, leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documentation, including records related to attendance, behaviour and pupil movement.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, a selection of subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  Inspectors met with members and executive leaders from the Spring Partnership Trust.  Inspectors considered the views of pupils and staff, including through their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys. They also considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Robert Grice, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicky Osborne Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 June 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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