Springfield Junior School

Inspection of Springfield Junior School Springfield Road, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE11 0BU

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Lisa Kay. This school is part of QEGSMAT, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Anne Martin, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sue Hall. 28 and 29 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Springfield Junior school is a friendly and caring school. Pupils are proud to attend this school, where everyone is welcome and included. Pupils are polite and have lovely manners. They speak with enthusiasm about their learning. One pupil, typical of many, said, ‘I just love learning!’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s successful work to embed high standards of behaviour means that pupils feel safe. They behave well in lessons. They strive to earn ‘golden tickets’ and prizes from the headteacher’s prize box for trying their best. The pastoral support for pupils is a strength of the school. Pupils value their time in ‘the enchanted forest’ where they can talk to adults about any worries that they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils and wants pupils to achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school is highly inclusive. No pupil is left out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school broadens pupils’ horizons and develops their understanding of the wider world. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about visits to Ilam Hall and outdoor residential centres. They are proud to contribute to the life of the school as house captains and love looking after the school’s ‘happy hens’.

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better?

In response to historically low outcomes, the school has made significant changes to the curriculum in the last two years. The changes are well considered. However, these changes did not have sufficient time to impact on the outcomes of previous cohorts. There is a broad and balanced curriculum in place. The school is ambitious to ensure that learning is interesting and engaging. The efforts are paying off and pupils engage well with their learning.

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better?

In most subjects, the precise knowledge and skills that pupils learn is carefully sequenced. Pupils build on their prior learning, enabling them to know more and remember more of their learning in these subjects. There are a small number of subjects which are at an earlier stage of development. In these subjects, the precise knowledge is not as clear. This means that teachers are not as effectively able to plan learning that builds over time or check if pupils are remembering what they have been taught. In some lessons, learning is not always adapted quickly enough to make sure that all groups of pupils achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Reading is given a high priority in this school. The strategies for teaching phonics and reading are well embedded. Staff are well trained. Any pupils who are finding reading difficult are quickly spotted and given daily support to catch up. The school places a strong emphasis on exposing pupils to a range of rich texts and books to read. Pupils enjoy reading and talk with enthusiasm about their favourite books. 28 and 29 February 2024

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The school is ambitious for the significant number of pupils with SEND, including those with education, health and care plans. Pupils are included in all learning activities. The school swiftly identifies pupils who may require additional support. In the Jaguars special educational needs (SEN) unit, skilled staff support pupils to learn and focus effectively on their learning. Pupils benefit positively from the range of strategies staff use to support them. Staff make sure that pupils with SEND access the ambitions of the curriculum with success.

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Pupils benefit from highly effective pastoral support. Pupils trust staff to help them if they have any problems. This helps pupils to concentrate well in lessons. The school ensures that important learning about areas such as equality, relationships and online safety are taught often. Pupils show respect and maturity as they discuss difference and diversity. One pupil, echoing the views of others said, ‘Everyone should be treated the same, so we all have the exact rights to keep everyone safe.’ While pupils appreciate differences, their knowledge of different cultures and faiths is limited. This means that they are not as fully prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be.

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Relationships between pupils and staff are respectful. Staff consistently encourage pupils to be ‘ready, respectful and safe’. Pupils respond well to this expectation. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.

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Members of the trust have worked with the school to support school improvement. Through visits to the school, improvements are monitored and reviewed. The trust and school leaders have worked with relentless determination to provide the very best for all pupils. Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the consideration that leaders have for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the precise sequence of knowledge that pupils should learn and remember is not clear. Consequently, pupils are not building on previous knowledge that will enable them to know more and remember more over time. The school needs to make sure that the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in these subjects is clear and precisely set out, so that pupils achieve as well as they could.  In some subjects, the teaching of the curriculum is not adapted well enough to meet pupils’ needs and starting points. Where this is the case, pupils do not learn with as much success and confidence as they do in other subjects. The school should ensure that teaching is suitably adapted so that all groups of pupils learn well. 28 and 29 February 2024

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 Some pupils’ knowledge of different faiths and cultures is fragile. Although they know to respect difference, some pupils are not as aware as they should be of what these differences may be. The school should ensure that pupils have the necessary knowledge and understanding of different faiths and cultures, so that they are fully prepared for the next stages of their education.

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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' 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). 28 and 29 February 2024

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School details

Website www.springfield.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 October 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Springfield Junior School is part of QEGSMAT. This is a multi-academy trust.  A new headteacher has been appointed since the last inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is a breakfast club managed by the school.  The school provides specially resourced provision for pupils with education, health and care plans.

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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. 28 and 29 February 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, assistant headteacher and a range of staff.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, members of the board of trustees, the trust education directors and the chair of the governing body.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors also discussed the history and computing curriculums. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspectors met with groups of staff and pupils and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. Inspectors spoke to parents and carers on the school site.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Michelle Thompson Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 February 2024

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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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