Teaching at Leeds primary school does not 'meet the needs of pupils' - Ofsted report
The teaching at a primary school in Leeds “does not meet the needs of pupils,” according to visiting Ofsted inspectors.
Cobden Primary School, located on Cobden Road, Farnley, was rated Requires Improvement in four of the five inspected categories - the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision.
Leadership and management at the school was rated as Inadequate by Ofsted inspectors, during their visits on July 8-10, 2025.
Cobden was rated as an overall Requires Improvement during its previous inspection in September 2022.
The education watchdog said: “The school has not acted with sufficient urgency to address weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. This means that the overall educational offer to pupils is too variable.
“Teaching does not meet the needs of pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well enough. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as well as they should and are not prepared well enough for their next steps.”
Pupils enjoy attending Cobden Primary School and “most behave well in lessons.” However, there are occasions when some pupils disrupt learning, the report said.
The school “does not review pupils’ behaviour sufficiently well.” Consequently, in this area and others there is limited understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The school does not evaluate sufficiently how well the school improvement measures that it puts in place work.
The curriculum in most subjects is “coherently designed and the school has considered what pupils need to learn and how their knowledge will build over time, according to inspectors. However, the school has not ensured that the activities that teachers assign to pupils build on what they already know.
Focusing on areas of further improvement, inspectors added: “The school’s efforts to improve the school lack clarity, urgency and effectiveness. As a result, improvements are either not sustained over time or happen too slowly to make a meaningful difference. The school should ensure that its plans for improvement are well designed and effective.
“Governors do not have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas that need improvement. As a result, they are not able to hold school leaders to account effectively. Governors should ensure they use robust and reliable evidence to check that leaders’ actions have a positive impact on the quality of education that pupils receive.”
Recently, an external partner has been commissioned by the school to work with families to improve pupils’ attendance. There is evidence of some improvement in pupils’ attendance, but this is described by inspectors as being in the early stages.
There are effective processes in place to identify the needs of pupils with SEND, including training for staff. However, training “does not support staff to adapt learning” for pupils with SEND in an effective and consistent manner, the report said.