Ivy Bank is larger than the average-sized primary school. It contains the largest specially resourced provision in the local authority area, designated for 20 pupils who have a range of complex learning disabilities including autism and Downs Syndrome. In addition, the local authority has worked with the school to admit other ‘hard to place’ pupils, including some who have been permanently excluded from other schools. As a result, the level of mobility within some year groups is high. Across the school the proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is broadly average. However, in part because of the specialist provision, the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average. The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, who are looked after by the local authority or who have a parent in the armed forces) is a little below average. At Ivy Bank all such pupils fall into the first two of these categories. A high proportion of the pupils come from White British families and none are leaning to speak English. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which represent the minimum level expected for progress and attainment in English and mathematics. There is some pre-school nursery provision on the same site but this is not run by the governing body and it was not looked at as part of this inspection. At the time of the inspection the school’s deputy headteacher had been seconded to run another school in the absence of that school’s headteacher.