Lakeside Primary Academy

About Lakeside Primary Academy

Lakeside Primary Academy is a state primary school in Derby, part of the East Midlands region, and it serves a mixed cohort of children aged 3 to 11. Within the Derby local authority, it ranks 46th out of 58 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half of its local peers. For context, the highest-ranked schools in the same area include Griffe Field Primary School, Gayton Junior School, and St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy, all of which sit comfortably above Lakeside in the local rankings. The school is led by headteacher Lynn Thorne and has a capacity of 675 pupils, with 615 currently on roll. It is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 86 applications for 53 places, with 51 first-preference offers made. The school also offers nursery provision. Its most recent Ofsted inspection took place in 2025, where the overall effectiveness was not judged, but the school was rated Requires Improvement for both quality of education and leadership and management, while early years provision, personal development, and behaviour and attitudes were all rated Good.

Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year show that 43% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. This is notably below the Derby local authority average of 55%. The average scores in reading and maths were both 100, which is the national baseline, but the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading and maths was just 11% each, and only 1% in writing. In the East Midlands region, the school ranks 1182nd out of 1353 primary schools, and nationally it sits at 12146th out of 13686, placing it in the bottom 50% of schools by this metric. The previous Ofsted inspection in 2022 also rated the school as Requires Improvement across all areas, so there has been no change in the overall grading trajectory. The school does not have a sixth form.

Lakeside Primary Academy offers a range of facilities including a dining hall, outdoor playground, art studios, music rooms, an ICT suite, a sports hall, and a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, rounders, gymnastics, swimming, athletics, and cricket, and there are clubs for drama, film, and gardening. The school has a significant proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 42.9%, well above the national average. For SEND, the school provides support for a wide range of needs including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. However, parent views from the 2024/25 period show mixed feelings: while 71% would recommend the school, only 32% strongly agreed that SEND children get the support they need, and 32% strongly disagreed. This school may suit families who value its broad facilities and nursery provision, but those prioritising strong academic outcomes or a higher Ofsted rating may want to consider the nearest Outstanding-rated school, Wyndham Spencer Academy, which is 1.4 km away.

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