Moving beyond the floor target case study: Leagrave Primary School, Luton

• Date: Jan 2008
• Programme: Improving Schools Programme (ISP)
• Focus: Tackling underachievement in schools causing concern
• Number in series: 8
• School name: Leagrave Primary School
• Phase: Early Years, Primary
• Key stage: Foundation Stage, Key Stages 1 and 2
• Local authority: Luton
• Ref: 00150-2008DWO-EN-01
• % of free school meals: 40%

School context and profile

Leagrave Primary School opened in September 1998, as a result of the amalgamation of Leagrave Infant and Junior schools. The current leadership team was recruited in September 2005. The LA had been working with the school prior to this. Audit at handover identified the provision as inadequate overall; teaching was 50 per cent inadequate and attendance and behaviour had serious concerns.

• Number on roll: 390 including Foundation Stage with provision for 60 part-time nursery places
• Age range: three to 11
• The school is multilingual (19 languages) and multicultural, reflecting the local community.
• 20 per cent of the school population have Special Educational Needs (SEN).
• 40 per cent are eligible for free school meals.
• There is a high incidence of pupil mobility.
• 74 per cent of pupils come from minority ethnic and traveller groups.
• On entry, attainment is well below national expectations.

Much of the LA’s support work was actioned soon after the arrival of the new leadership team. The school was inspected in October 2006 when it was judged to be an improving school. The work of the headteacher was highlighted as a significant strength, and along with the governors and the leadership team has ‘effectively implemented improvements and there had been dramatic changes in the last year.’

Standards overall were judged to be unsatisfactory at this time, although it was stated that there was good capacity to improve.
Issues identified were:

• making better use of assessment and marking in order to raise standards
• improving the quality of teaching and learning so that it is consistently good
• raising achievement by developing the expertise of all the subject leaders and governors in checking that pupils do as well as they should.

Key Stage 2 L4+ results: 

2006 English 30%; mathematics 59%
2007 English 70%; mathematics 62%