Springbank Primary Academy

Inspection of Springbank Primary Academy Springbank Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 0PH

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 October 2023

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Shona Riddell. This school is part of Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Claire Savory, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Morris. 25 and 26 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

From Nursery to Year 6, pupils enjoy learning at Springbank Primary Academy. They learn to be polite, welcoming and friendly towards each other. The school offers a warm welcome to pupils from other countries, so they quickly become part of the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Through the curriculum, pupils have many opportunities to hold roles of responsibility. For example, Year 6 pupils train as peer mediators to help other pupils resolve friendship issues. Pupils are elected to be house captains and members of the student council. Pupils are proud of their school. They value the many clubs that they can join, such as chess, football and art.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in Nursery, pre-school and Reception learn the routines of school well. They learn how to take turns, share and make firm friendships. Children learn to voice their imaginative interpretations of the world through well-planned activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and children in the early years are motivated to learn well. They behave well, both in and out of class. Pupils state that bullying is not an issue, but they say that staff would resolve it swiftly if it occurred. Pupils feel safe, nurtured and cared for. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong.

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better?

The school has been relentless in revising the curriculum so that all pupils learn well. The vision for the academic, social and emotional success of pupils is shared by all staff. Leaders and staff have high aspirations and expectations for pupils to achieve well. They have worked to develop a curriculum that supports pupils to learn progressively more complex concepts in most subjects. However, in some subjects, the curriculum does not help pupils to build on their prior knowledge well.

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better?

From early years to key stage 1, pupils learn to read confidently. Through talking about stories, children in Nursery develop their language skills. For example, children learn vocabulary and grammar through repeating the nursery rhyme ‘Sleeping Bunnies.’ In Reception, children are very enthusiastic about learning to read. They make clear links between letters and the sounds they make. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 review the sounds they have learned previously to help them learn more complex sounds. Pupils love listening to stories and talk knowledgeably about characters, setting and plot. For example, pupils spoke enthusiastically about Roald Dahl’s novel ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’

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better?

Children in Reception are immersed in magical worlds that stimulate their creativity and curiosity. For example, children reinterpreted the nursery rhyme ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ through story maps and painting. Children throughout early years develop a good understanding of number. They develop strong physical coordination through 25 and 26 October 2023

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well-structured activities, such as bouncing on mini trampolines and balancing on beams. Children are very well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of pupil premium funding are supported to learn the curriculum successfully. Staff know both the learning and pastoral needs of pupils well.

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The learning environment is orderly and harmonious. Pupils aspire to achieve. They are happy and thriving. They enrich their learning through trips to explore the history of their local area. They also visit theatres and the local literature festival to enhance their knowledge of drama and books. Through a well-structured personal, social and health education curriculum, pupils learn about their role in society.

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Pupils’ overall attendance is strong. However, the school acknowledges that some pupils do not attend regularly. Leaders have introduced a breadth of incentives to encourage these pupils to attend, but the impact of this is not yet apparent.

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Trustees know the school well and provide effective scrutiny and support. They consider pertinent information and pose challenging questions. The trust improvement team provides helpful support to the school to revise the curriculum. Staff are overwhelmingly proud to work at the school. Early career teachers feel very well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not yet fully embedded in some subjects. Consequently, some pupils do not have sufficient prior knowledge to make sense of more complex concepts later. The school must ensure that the curriculum is well sequenced in all subjects.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly. As a result, they are missing vital education, which will have an impact on their next steps. The school must continue to ensure that all parents, carers and pupils understand the link between regular school attendance, learning and future opportunities.

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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. 25 and 26 October 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 25 and 26 October 2023

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School details

Website www.springbankpri-ac.gloucs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 and 24 November 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Springbank Primary Academy is part of the Gloucestershire Learning Alliance. The school converted to an academy in 2013.  The school has a Nursery and pre-school on site.  The school has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding.  There is a breakfast club and after-school club for pupils who attend the school.  The school does not use any 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 25 and 26 October 2023

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 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 held discussions with the headteacher and members of the leadership team. They also held discussions with trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, early reading, mathematics, history and modern foreign languages. In each subject, inspectors met with senior and curriculum leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at pupils’ books.  An inspector listened to pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to an adult.  An inspector met with the special educational needs coordinator to consider the quality of education for pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors considered the views of parents who responded to the confidential questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. They evaluated the views of staff and pupils from the Ofsted online questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Susan Aykin, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Whitcombe Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 October 2023

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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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