Spring Lane Primary School

Inspection of Spring Lane Primary School Spring Lane, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN1 2JW

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They have a strong sense of belonging. An older pupil, typically, commented, 'When you join from a young age and then you get to Year 6 you just feel like you are part of a family. You have made friends you will never lose and met teachers you will never forget.’ Staff care for pupils very well. Pupils are happy and safe. They share any worries with trusted adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils live out the school’s values of ‘resilience, respect, collaboration, curiosity and independence’. Pupils are polite and welcoming. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, which pupils meet. Pupils say that there is hardly any bullying. They know that staff would deal effectively with any such behaviour, if it did occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide pupils with experiences to develop character and resilience. Older pupils have opportunities to gain leadership responsibilities. Pupils appreciate the range of extra-curricular clubs available, especially those related to sport. Both boys’ and girls’ football teams are popular.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers value the school. Typically, a parent commented, ‘The school supports the wider community, I feel this is crucial and much needed. My son loves attending and the staff are fantastic.’

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better?

Leaders, governors and trustees lead with a strong moral purpose. They continually strive to achieve the school’s aim, whereby ‘Children leave Spring Lane prepared to thrive in an ever-changing world.’ Leaders engage purposefully with the local community to support pupils’ education.

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better?

Pupils experience a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders ensure that most subject curriculums identify the key knowledge that pupils need to learn and when. Pupils build their learning across the year and from one year to the next. For example, in mathematics, planned learning is ambitious. In this subject, leaders ensure that pupils learn knowledge in the correct order, so that they know and are able to do more, including by revisiting topics. Teachers have good subject knowledge, which they use well to help them teach different mathematical concepts.

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better?

Leaders are refining some subject curriculums. However, they are at different stages in this work. This is partly due to staffing changes and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In history, for example, leaders have successfully reviewed the curriculum, so that pupils gain and remember key knowledge. In geography, however, curriculum refinement is less developed. For example, pupils’ experiences of fieldwork, and the learning they gain from this, are not as effective as they should be. 15 and 16 November 2022

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Teachers ensure that the curriculum is as ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities as it is for other pupils. Teachers and support staff adapt their teaching to enable these pupils to know more and remember more over time. Leaders ensure that pupils who speak English as an additional language get off to a good start. These pupils access the full curriculum and quickly catch up as a result of the support they receive.

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Leaders have prioritised reading. They have successfully introduced a new phonics scheme. Staff are trained to use resources well. Children in the early years get off to a swift start in learning how to read. Staff regularly assess pupils’ reading. This helps them to identify and support those pupils who require further assistance to become confident readers. Pupils become fluent in their reading. Leaders are refining the reading curriculum to make sure that all pupils learn to read with understanding.

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Leaders have high expectations and a clear vision for the early years provision. They provide children in nursery and pre-school classes with positive opportunities to learn. Staff support children’s personal, social and emotional development well. Children in reception classes benefit from structured, teacher-led sessions, for example, in mathematics and number work. However, when children are engaged in play, opportunities to learn are not organised as well. Staff do not use the conversations that they have with children to help them to learn more during these less structured times.

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Behaviour is positive and productive. Pupils know the staff’s high expectations for behaviour and conduct. Learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Leaders’ approach to improving behaviour is effective. There has been a reduction in fixed- term exclusions and incidences of poor behaviour.

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Leaders provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils’ personal development. Pastoral care is strong. Leaders promote understanding of diversity and respect. For example, pupils recently took part in the local Diwali parade. Relationships education is age-appropriate.

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Trustees and governors provide school leaders with a healthy level of challenge and support. Trustees and governors are ambitious for all pupils and the place of the school in the local community. They are mindful of staff’s welfare and well-being.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate leaders’ consideration and support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. They know pupils and their backgrounds exceptionally well. They recognise potential risks and concerning signs related to pupils’ welfare. They take swift and appropriate steps to ensure that 15 and 16 November 2022

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pupils are safe. They work with, and at times challenge, external agencies to provide additional support when needed.

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Staff are well trained. They receive regular safeguarding updates. They know their responsibilities and fulfil them very well.

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Pupils have opportunities to understand potential risks. Staff support them to know how to make the right choices, for example, when in the local community and when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject curriculums are not as well developed as others. As a result, pupils do not necessarily build on their learning from one year to the next in all subjects as well as they should. Leaders should ensure the sequence of key knowledge and skills that they want pupils to know, remember and be able to practise, is clear in all subjects, thus enabling pupils to build their knowledge over time.  Adults do not always check children’s choices to play and learn, within the continuous provision, in all of the early years classes. As a result, some children do not gain as much as they should from these planned opportunities. Leaders need to make sure that all children in early years benefit from high-quality, continuous provision opportunities to play, learn and develop.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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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. 15 and 16 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240421 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 and 20 October 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Campfire Education Trust.  The school provides education for two-year-old children. The early years provision includes a pre-school unit, Nursery and Reception classes.  The school does not use the services of alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders. They met with the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding leads.  Inspectors met with trustees, remotely, including the chair. They met with governors, in person, including the acting chair. They met with trust officers. 15 and 16 November 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, geography and art. For each deep dive, inspectors met with teachers and curriculum leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They listened to pupils read.  Inspectors looked at a range of other subjects, including, science, history, physical education and English. They visited lessons, reviewed curriculum plans and sampled pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with pupils formally and informally about different aspects of school life.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents. These included policies related to curriculum, teaching and behaviour. They reviewed the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan and the single central record.  Inspectors considered the views of parents who completed the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire. They reviewed responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Chris Davies, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Luella Manssen Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 2022

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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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