Mayflower Primary School

Inspection of Mayflower Primary School 70 Ethel Road, Leicester LE5 5NA

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 17 and 18 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Mayflower Primary School. Many pupils describe their school as ‘safe, kind and amazing’. Despite the significant disruption since the previous inspection, due to the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), the school has created a nurturing, inclusive and welcoming environment for pupils in their temporary building. Pupils feel safe and know that there are adults to help them if they need it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve their best. This is reflected in the strong outcomes that pupils achieve in some of the core subjects. However, school’s recent work on the wider curriculum has not been fully realised. As a result, the wider curriculum does not support pupils to build on their knowledge well enough. They do not receive a broad curriculum offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They enjoy receiving recognition points when they demonstrate the school’s ‘RESPECT’ values. Pupils demonstrate positive and respectful relationships with each other and the staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are a wide range of enrichment opportunities at Mayflower Primary School. Pupils enjoy their trips, such as their space camp sleepover, sports competitions and singing experiences. The ‘wellies and worms’ outdoors programme enables pupils to appreciate nature. It supports pupils to develop their confidence and resilience.

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

The school’s recent work on the wider curriculum has raised the ambition for what pupils can achieve. The school has defined the precise knowledge that it wants pupils to know and remember across subjects. This knowledge is sequential. It helps staff to know what to teach and when to teach it.

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

In more established subjects, such as reading and mathematics, staff demonstrate strong subject knowledge. In these subjects, pupils have regular opportunities to retrieve prior knowledge and build their skills logically. This helps them to become fluent in their mathematical facts and reading. As a result, pupils achieve well in their national tests in these subjects

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

In the wider curriculum subjects, leaders have not set clear expectations for the implementation of the planned content. There is not enough emphasis in the curriculum to help pupils remember important content. Staff do not check on how well pupils remember their knowledge. They do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to make the connections they need from their prior learning. This means that, in some cases, pupils’ learning is less secure, and they do not achieve as well as they should in a range of subjects.

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

Reading is prioritised in the school. Staff have appropriate expertise to deliver the school’s chosen phonics programme. They ensure that pupils use ‘pure sounds’ to help them with their early reading skills. Pupils develop their fluency well. Pupils who find it more difficult 17 and 18 June 2025

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to learn to read are well supported so that they can catch up quickly. The school’s initiatives for older pupils, such as the ‘best book’ scheme, help to foster a love of reading.

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Children in the early years receive a positive start to their schooling. Staff model early language well. They skilfully question children to help with their problem-solving. A wide range of activities help children to develop their knowledge. For example, children enjoy learning about floating and sinking in their water play. This helps to prepare them for key stage 1 and beyond.

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The school has clearly defined expectations for pupil’s behaviour. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They are proud of their achievements. The school has not considered how best to improve pupils’ attendance over time. It has not liaised as it should with the local authority for pupils who have long-term absence due to medical needs. As a result, some pupils miss out on too much of their education.

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. Additional interventions and a high-quality pastoral package help support pupils with a range of needs. The school’s alternative provision space helps pupils develop their communication skills. However, the school has not completed the work on the curriculum for this provision. As a result, it is not clear how these pupils will receive a broad and ambitious curriculum.

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Pupils benefit from opportunities to take responsibility. They are proud to be elected as a ‘Young Consultant’ or ‘Creativity Councillor’. They take these roles seriously. The revised personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and relationships education curriculums have recently been introduced. A revised curriculum for religious education is being implemented next term. These are not well-established at this stage, leading to pupils having a varied understanding of the fundamental British values. Pupils appreciate the opportunities to stretch their talents and interests through a range of clubs and music lessons.

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The school has worked hard to reunite the school community after a significant unsettled time. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel that their workload and well-being is considered. New arrangements in the governing body have enabled them to better understand the work of the school. They fulfil the statutory responsibilities effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not devised effective approaches to assessing pupils’ knowledge and their recall in some subjects. Current approaches do not always provide clarity about 17 and 18 June 2025

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what pupils know and do not know. Some pupils are left with gaps in their learning, which makes any future learning difficult for them. The school should ensure that there are effective assessment systems in place to check what pupils know and remember and that there are sufficient opportunities in the curriculum for pupils to revisit their learning.  The school has developed the school’s curriculum to ensure that the knowledge that pupils should learn in core subjects is now clearly identified. However, in wider curriculum subjects, the school has not set clear expectations about how the planned content should be organised and implemented. This has led to inconsistencies in delivery and in the quality of pupils’ learning. Leaders should continue to develop the necessary knowledge and expertise to monitor the implementation and impact of the curriculum more effectively, ensuring that all pupils achieve well across all subjects .

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 The school does not have a clear view of the impact of its attendance procedures. As a result, the school has not acted quickly enough to address pupils’ absence or made sure that pupils with medical needs have access to education such as home tuition. The school should ensure that it follows statutory guidance, its policy and procedures so that pupils’ attendance improves.  The delivery of the school’s programme for personal development is inconsistent. Some pupils have a limited understanding of the fundamental British values. The school should ensure that the religious education curriculum and programme for pupils’ PSHE education is implemented consistently and systematically across all year groups to help prepare pupils well for modern day society.

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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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Co-chairs of governing body Tahira Abdullah and Aklima Meah

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school’s permanent building was closed in April 2023. It was deemed to be structurally unsafe due to the discovery of RAAC.  Since April 2024, pupils have attended school in a temporary building. While this new structure was built, pupils were taught remotely until the school could find accommodation for pupils in a range of educational and community buildings. The school population was split between four different sites. Some pupils had to move sites during this period.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school provides on-site before- and after-school care.

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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 and/or sixth form 17 and 18 June 2025

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provision). Schools 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 discussed the impact of the RAAC closure with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and with other leaders. The lead inspector met with those responsible for governance, including the co-chairs of the local governing body. The lead inspector also held a discussion with the local authority improvement advisor.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history, design and technology and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector

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observed some pupils read to a familiar member of staff.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum information, pupils’ work and discussed with pupils their learning in science, geography and writing.  Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and at other times around school.  The inspectors spoke to pupils in groups, in lessons and around the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of 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.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan and information about governance. Inspectors also considered information about pupils’ attendance and behaviour, as well as the wider curriculum.  The school’s website and several policies and documents were considered.

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and the results of Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Sarah Sadler, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sylvie Newman Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 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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