Springwell Infant and Nursery School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Kamm Grewal Headteacher Springwell Infant and Nursery School Speart Lane Heston Hounslow Middlesex TW5 9EF

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

Following my visit to the school on 21 November 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in December 2013.

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. You have taken effective steps to share leadership across your team and secured a shared understanding of the school’s values.

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

The previous inspection report recommended that greater challenge be provided to pupils through questioning. You have successfully addressed this by ensuring that staff use effective questions in lessons to move learning forward.

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

You have introduced a number of changes to the curriculum, which are securing improvements in teaching and the engagement of pupils. Leaders place pupils’ interests at the heart of the curriculum design. Teachers use assessment information to shape effective lessons. Teachers are skilled at using resources to support learning. Pupils are engaged in lessons, stimulated by real-life experiences.

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

Leaders share information effectively in their regular meetings about the quality of teaching, learning and pupils’ progress. Leaders demonstrate a secure understanding of the quality of teaching. Teachers reflect on one another’s work, leading to consistent application of school policies.

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

You also hold successful events to draw the community together. For example, the recent firework display was well attended. You make efforts to involve parents in the life of the school by running workshops and by inviting parents to activities such as curriculum workshops.

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

Governors know the school well and are committed to driving improvement. They make visits to the school to review the impact of school development priorities.

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records have a clear chronology. The school procedures are understood by staff, and concerns are responded to quickly to ensure that pupils are safe. Staff are well trained on safeguarding matters, such as the ‘Prevent’ duty. Training ensures that staff secure a thorough understanding of the prevalent issues around safeguarding pupils.

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Short inspection of Springwell Infant and Nursery School

Pupils told me that they feel safe in school. Surveys of pupils and parents confirm this view. Visitors to the school are provided with succinct and clear information regarding safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection findings

 The improvement in the curriculum to increase challenge is evident in early years. Children make a good start through access to imaginative activities. For example, the ‘dark room’ in Reception enables them to be creative and develop their understanding of the world. The range of activities that teachers offer to teach early writing skills are effective, such as recording the bugs discovered in the soil and guided support for the formation of letters on large sheets of paper.  You have made sure that pupils have opportunities to apply their skills to a range of situations. For example, they are challenged to carefully consider where to place windows on a design for a new London landmark. Pupils working in pairs and groups collaborate well in activities designed to promote exploration and discussion.  Pupils clearly enjoy their learning and leaders have worked hard to ensure that contributions are praised constructively. However, in some cases, the most able

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Inspection findings

pupils are insufficiently challenged by some activities provided.  Phonics is well taught and assessed, leading to improving outcomes over time. Lessons provide a range of engaging tasks to encourage pupils to apply their phonetic knowledge. Support staff, skillfully deployed, make use of resources to ensure that pupils progress from different starting points.  A key line of enquiry on this inspection was how well leaders diminish differences in outcomes between disadvantaged pupils and others nationally. Additional sessions for some of these pupils provide support and are well managed to meet the needs of pupils. The strategy for expenditure of the pupil premium grant is focused on timely intervention to allow pupils to catch up. The school assessment information indicates that differences are diminishing between the attainment of this group and others nationally. However, leaders’ analysis does not take enough account of the impact of

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Inspection findings

teaching over time.  Another key line of enquiry was attendance. I explored, with staff, the school’s current attendance information. You have established systems to identify pupils who miss school regularly. You provide additional support to enable them to keep up with their learning. However, you recognise that leaders’ analysis should be more effectively focused on the impact of poor attendance on achievement.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 attendance information is used more effectively to focus support for groups of pupils in order to improve achievement  the most able pupils are consistently challenged in their learning across the curriculum.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the director of children’s services for Hounslow. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you and two assistant headteachers, and with middle leaders. I met with four members of the governing body and I spoke to a representative from the local authority.

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Information about the inspection

I visited classes from Reception to Year 2 with you and the assistant headteachers to observe teaching and to look at pupils’ work.

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Information about the inspection

I met a group of pupils who make up the school council. I reviewed a selection of pupils’ work.

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Information about the inspection

I reviewed the responses from parents, staff and pupils to the Ofsted online surveys. I analysed 15 responses from parents to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents. Together with this, I considered 29 questionnaire responses from staff and pupils. I also met with one parent.

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Information about the inspection

I evaluated a range of documentation related to safeguarding and the school’s website. School attendance information and assessment information were evaluated.

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