Leeds primary 'fully committed' to school improvement after Ofsted raises concerns over four key areas

Bankside Primary School, located on Shepherds Lane, Harehills, was rated as Requires Improvement by Ofsted following a February 2025 inspection.

The school was rated as Requires Improvement for the quality of education, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision, but Good for behaviour and attitudes.

Bankside had previously been graded as Good in three successive inspections, dating back to 2007.

Ofsted said: “The school has not clearly defined the specific knowledge that pupils must learn across the curriculum as they progress through the school. It is difficult for teachers to accurately identify and address pupils’ gaps in learning.

“The school does not carefully check that the changes it makes are having the intended impact. Weaknesses are not consistently or precisely identified. As a consequence, the school is not clear about whether actions taken to improve the school are working.”

Despite this, inspectors described the school as a “welcoming and friendly place” where pupils feel safe and develop “strong relationships” with staff.

The school has “worked to improve pupils’ behaviour” and has ensured that “expectations are clear” for pupils and staff to understand.

In a statement provided to the Yorkshire Evening Post, a spokesperson for Bankside primary insisted that leaders and staff were “fully committed to school improvement.”

The school spokesperson said: “We are delighted that the work completed, in a short space of time, to improve behaviour and attitudes has been recognised as a strength of the school. Inspectors also recognised other significant improvements made which have been captured well in the report.

“The whole team is fully committed to school improvement. The future is bright for Bankside Primary and we welcome visitors to the school to see our wonderful school in action.”

Bankside “supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)” in a variety of ways and has a “clear understanding” of the needs of these pupils.

The school’s curriculum is “broad and ambitious,” but while some subjects are established, others are “less well developed.”

Children in the early years “engage positively” in a range of age-appropriate activities. Staff have established “strong relationships” with children.

The education watchdog added: “The school is going through a significant period of change and improvement. Newly established leaders are resolute in their ambition to provide a high-quality education for pupils.

“Pupils’ achievement in national tests in recent years has been too low. Pupils are benefitting from an improved curriculum and greater ambition but there is still some variation in the quality of education that they receive.”

If you’d like to receive more stories like this and the latest news from the Yorkshire Evening Post, click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

Visitors to school, including community police officers, teach pupils about how to keep safe, including online. Older pupils “speak confidently about what they have learned” recently about knife crime, smoking and vaping.

Over time, pupils’ rates of absence have been “significantly above” national figures. The school has now implemented “rigorous processes” that are beginning to positively impact on attendance rates.

The governing board has also been through a period of change and has “focused its actions” on ensuring that the school site is a safe place for pupils and staff to be. Governors have “overseen the development of the school’s curriculum.”