Gillas Lane Primary Academy

Overview: Gillas Lane Primary Academy continues to be a good school, with staff having high expectations of pupils and pupils behaving extremely well, demonstrating excellent manners. The school has an ambitious curriculum and provides a wide range of opportunities beyond the academic curriculum.

Strengths:

• Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum and high-quality teaching.
• Pupils read regularly and have access to a wide range of books.
• The school provides a wide range of opportunities beyond the academic curriculum, including outdoor learning and extracurricular activities.
• Staff feel highly valued and supported by leaders in school and within the trust.
• The school has effective safeguarding arrangements in place.

Areas to improve:

• The current approach to teaching multiplication facts is not enabling pupils to recall these rapidly.
• Rates of persistent absence, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, remain high.
• In a small number of foundation subjects, the knowledge that pupils should learn is not identified sharply enough.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.