Springfield Primary Academy

Inspection of Springfield Primary Academy Springfield Road, Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands B13 9NY

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 21 and 22 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Springfield Primary Academy provides a kind and caring community. Leaders have high expectations and are ambitious for all pupils. They work hard to ensure pupils attend school regularly, are safe and taught well. In response, pupils are happy at school and enjoy attending. Each day, staff aim to bring the school motto ‘inspire futures and make memories’ to life. Lessons are interesting and pupils learn well. They love their new school building.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make sure that pupils are well behaved. Classrooms are calm and orderly places, where pupils can enjoy and focus on their learning. Leaders deal swiftly and effectively with any incidents of poor behaviour or bullying, making sure that it stops quickly. There are positive, respectful relationships between staff and pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn new skills, such as cooking, computer coding and sewing. Sport clubs enable pupils to develop physical skills and partake in competitions. Trips and visits enrich pupils’ learning. For example, pupils have visited a conservation centre to support learning in science and different museums to assist history lessons. These activities also help to broaden pupils’ horizons.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. It is carefully sequenced with clear end points. This informs teachers about what to teach and when to teach it. Teachers receive training that helps them to teach the curriculum well. They present new learning clearly. Teachers check on how well pupils are learning in lessons and clarify any misconceptions. However, leaders do not consistently check how well pupils learn and remember the curriculum over time. This means they do not know enough about how well pupils achieve in all subjects.

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better?

The youngest pupils get off to a good start. Staff know children well and carefully plan to meet their care and learning needs. Children learn to share and take turns when working in pairs or groups. They learn to manage their feelings and emotions. Staff provide many opportunities to excite and engage children in learning, for example, by observing caterpillars grow into butterflies. Adults encourage ambitious vocabulary, such as ‘chrysalis’, when explaining the life cycle of a butterfly. They show children how to count and use numbers in a range of ways. Most children can read and write words and simple sentences by the end of the Reception Year.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. They have invested in a broad and diverse range of books. Pupils read and are read to regularly in school. Library visits, ‘read ten before you leave each class’ and ‘pyjama reading days’ promote books and help pupils to develop a love of reading. Pupils enjoy practising new sounds when reading books that match the sounds that they are learning. Most staff teach reading well. However, a few staff who are new to teaching phonics do not know the school’s approach well enough. This means that, at times, there are inconsistencies in the 21 and 22 June 2023

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teaching of early reading. As a result, some children who have fallen behind in reading do not catch up as quickly as they could.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are swiftly identified. Leaders work closely with external agencies to get the right provision in place. Pupils with SEND are well supported to be successful in school. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Leaders have carefully crafted the school’s personal development offer in partnership with the local community. It is based upon the school’s values of respect, resilience and integrity. Pupils learn to be active citizens by fundraising for an international earthquake appeal and a local ‘food pantry.’ They have opportunities to take on responsibilities in school, such as joining ‘safeguarding squad’ or the pupil-led eco council. Pupils learn about democracy through the work of the school council. They recognise and respect other people’s differences by learning about different faiths and cultures. For example, they learn about Hinduism, Islam and Christianity and celebrations, such as Eid and Diwali. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders, including trust leaders, are highly committed to the school’s continued success. They want the best for every pupil. They hold the headteacher to account for the school’s performance. However, there is work to do to support new subject leaders to check how well pupils are learning in some subjects.

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Leaders engage well with the wider school community. Parents are positive about the quality of education their children receive. Leaders engage well with staff. They are mindful of staff workload and well-being. They listen thoughtfully to any concerns that staff raise and seek swift, effective solutions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff know how to respond to any safety or welfare concerns about pupils. Leaders are meticulous in their responses to any concerns staff raise. They engage with external agencies swiftly and effectively to make sure that any pupil in need of help gets the support that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep safe when out and about in the community and online. Pupils know there are trusted adults in school that they can talk to if they have a worry or concern.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make the appropriate checks on staff before they start work at the school. 21 and 22 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some middle leaders are new to subject leadership. They do not yet have the knowledge and skills to evaluate the impact of the curriculum in their subject. This means they do not know enough about how well pupils are learning. Leaders should support middle leaders to undertake their role effectively, ensuring that they check how well pupils learn and remember the curriculum over time.  A few staff are new to teaching phonics in school. They are not fully familiar with the school’s approach to teaching early reading. This means that, at times, phonics is not taught as well as intended. Leaders should ensure all staff fully understand how to teach phonics effectively, so that any pupils who have fallen behind in reading, including those new to the school, are supported to catch up rapidly.

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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. 21 and 22 June 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Springfield Primary Academy is part of Reach2 multi-academy trust.  Leaders do not use alternative provision.

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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

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, geography, mathematics, music and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also met with leaders of art and design and design and technology to make further checks on the curriculum. 21 and 22 June 2023

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 Inspectors observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. Inspectors reviewed reading resources.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation published on the school’s website.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s safeguarding arrangements. This included examining the record of employment checks on school staff.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times during the day.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, a designated safeguarding leader, curriculum leaders, representatives of the local governing body and the trust.  Inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, pupil surveys and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicola Price Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 June 2023

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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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