Springhead Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Springhead Infant and Nursery School Cooper Street, Springhead, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL4 4QT

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2021

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Outcome

Springhead Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They think that their lessons are exciting and fun. Pupils love visiting the school’s big field to play, learn and explore. Through regular trips, pupils broaden their experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the very best for all pupils. They have planned an exciting curriculum which captures pupils’ imagination as they learn and remember. Pupils are successful in their learning. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Through their many leadership roles, pupils are fully involved in school life. For example, planet protectors make careful decisions about how to reduce waste in school. Pupil well- being champions help leaders ensure that everyone is looked after well. Younger children learn how to care for the pet tortoise, Esio Trot.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils try their best in lessons. At playtimes, they play happily with their friends. Children in the early years move around the classroom areas calmly and safely. Pupils are proud of the medals that they earn for behaving well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and secure in school. They describe their teachers as kind and helpful. Pupils are confident that they can share any worries with adults in school. Pupils know that if any bullying should occur, their teachers would deal with it quickly.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils. To achieve this ambition, leaders have ensured that the school’s curriculum is carefully planned. They have considered in detail what pupils should learn in different subjects. The curriculum sets out exactly what important knowledge pupils need to know and remember.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Subject leaders have given careful thought to how pupils should build their learning in a well-ordered way. In most subjects, the curriculum plans contain precise details about 12 and 13 October 2021

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what pupils need to know before moving on to new learning. For example, in art and design, teachers make sure that pupils learn how to paint and draw in carefully planned steps, starting in the Nursery class. This helps pupils to deepen their learning. In a small number of subjects, curriculum plans are less detailed about how pupils will build knowledge across year groups.

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In lessons, teachers make regular checks to make sure that pupils are learning well. In most subjects, subject leaders have a detailed view of how well pupils are remembering and building important knowledge. In other subjects, checks are being further developed by leaders. This is to ensure that they have a more precise overview of how well pupils are remembering their learning.

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Leaders have placed reading firmly at the centre of the school’s curriculum. Across the school, reading areas are attractive and full of interesting books for pupils to enjoy. Teachers share a wide range of books and stories with their classes. They encourage pupils to develop a love of reading. Teachers help children to listen to and recognise new sounds from the time they start in Nursery. Staff teach phonics in well-planned steps. Teachers carefully match reading books to pupils’ phonics knowledge. Leaders make sure that pupils get just the right support when they are struggling to keep up with the reading curriculum. These actions help pupils to develop as confident and fluent readers, including pupils with SEND.

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The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with staff, parents, carers and a range of other professionals. This ensures that staff identify with accuracy any additional needs that pupils may have. Staff make well-considered adaptations to their teaching to help pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as other pupils. For example, teachers give pupils more time and support to follow instructions and record their work when needed. Leaders check any additional teaching sessions that they provide for pupils with SEND to make sure that they are helpful. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Governors keep a careful check on the school’s curriculum. They provide the right balance of challenge and support for leaders. Governors share leaders’ determination to support staff’s well-being. They are considerate of teachers’ workload when making decisions.

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Leaders ensure that pupils know how to be active, kind and thoughtful citizens. School councillors run the school tuck shop. They help decide what equipment to buy for pupils to enjoy at playtimes. Pupils follow the school’s golden rules, such as being kind and helpful to others. Pupils behave well so that everyone can get on with their learning. Teachers develop pupils’ knowledge of the wider world. For example, pupils learn about religions, including Christianity and Islam.

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Staff feel very well supported by leaders. They appreciate the time that they have to work with other staff in school and across the federation. This helps staff to share and develop their expertise. 12 and 13 October 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide regular safeguarding training for all staff. This means that staff are alert to signs of possible abuse or neglect. They understand the right action to take if they have a concern about a pupil.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and pastoral staff work closely with a range of agencies to support pupils and their families. Leaders ensure that pupils benefit from the right support when needed.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum helps pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn how to stay safe when using the internet. Pupils know that they should speak to a trusted adult if they ever feel unsafe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders are taking steps to strengthen the sequencing of curriculum plans. This is because a small number of plans lack precise details about how pupils should build on and link their previous learning. Leaders should ensure that the improved curriculum plans in these subjects are used by teachers to plan work which deepens pupils’ understanding.  Assessment systems to check how well pupils are learning are being further developed and improved by some subject leaders. At present, not all subject leaders have precise knowledge of how well pupils know and remember the taught curriculum. Leaders should ensure that the improvement of the checks take place in order that all subject leaders have clear oversight of how well pupils are learning.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2016. 12 and 13 October 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 12 and 13 October 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

12 and 13 October 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school is in a federation with two other schools in the local area.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, she met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. The inspector also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  The inspector spoke with pupils about school life, including behaviour. She held meetings with the headteacher, pastoral lead, the school’s SENCo and governors. She spoke with a representative of the local authority. 12 and 13 October 2021

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 The inspector reviewed documentation, which included the leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.  The inspector considered the views expressed by parents in 21 responses to Ofsted Parent View, the online questionnaire, and 15 free-text comments. She also considered 20 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. She spoke with staff to explore their understanding of how to keep pupils safe. She reviewed the school’s record of checks undertaken on newly appointed staff.  The inspector met with the headteacher, staff and pupils to discuss provision for pupils’ personal development and pupils’ behaviour. She looked at documentation associated with these areas.  The inspector spoke with a range of staff to discuss leaders’ support for them.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Stevens, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 October 2021

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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