Springfield School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Springfield School Crewe Green Road, Cheshire East, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 5HS

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

Springfield School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcomed by smiling, enthusiastic staff as they arrive at school each morning. This is a place where all pupils flourish. Relationships between staff and pupils are exceptional. Pupils know that staff care for them deeply and that there is always an adult there for them when needed. Pupils feel happy and know that they are in safe hands.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are passionate about providing the very best education for pupils. From the youngest to the oldest, there is no limit to what the school expects pupils to achieve. Staff have a thorough understanding of pupils’ unique and complex needs. This, along with an aspirational curriculum, ensures that pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are exceptionally well prepared for their next steps in education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school skilfully helps pupils to regulate their own behaviour and manage their emotions. Staff are expert at identifying when pupils experience distress or discomfort. They respond quickly and sensitively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy impressive opportunities, which promote their wider development. They delight in enrichment activities that include sport, drama, cooking, music, and animal care. Pupils fundraise and engage with the local community. For example, the choir takes pleasure in singing and ‘signing’ at charity events.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has continued to go from strength to strength. 14 and 15 January 2025

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The school has designed a highly effective and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is exceptionally well considered to ensure that pupils receive the highest quality of education. The school is resolute that every pupil will achieve all that they possibly can and be well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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All staff receive frequent, high-quality professional development. Many become experts in their field and share best practice with others. This includes working with both mainstream and special schools across the local authority.

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Teachers are confident in the subjects they teach. They are adept in finding interesting ways to explain new ideas clearly. This helps pupils to remember important learning. Staff have a detailed understanding of each pupil. This information is used to skilfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum to accurately meet the needs of pupils.

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Developing pupils’ communication and language skills is at the heart of the school’s work. The school has thought carefully about how to meet the wide range of pupils’ communication, language and social interaction needs. For example, finding ways for non- verbal pupils to make their needs known and helping pupils to express their likes and dislikes as they make food choices. The school’s focus on supporting communication helps to prepare pupils for work and independent living.

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Reading has a particularly high profile in school. Pupils enjoy learning the foundations for reading, for example, through listening and responding to sounds. Pupils who are ready to learn phonics are expertly taught to develop early reading skills. Staff are relentless in seeking every opportunity to foster a love of reading among pupils. To this end, pupils of all ages and abilities have regular access to a wealth of books and frequently enjoy sharing stories, songs, rhymes, and poems with staff and with each other.

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Pupils are highly motivated and enjoy their learning. From the early years, children are taught to follow routines and to take turns. As pupils get older, they are increasingly able to self-regulate and enjoy friendships, socialising and participating in all that the school has to offer. The school has strong relationships with families. It checks absence thoroughly. The school works tenaciously to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

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The school offers pupils high-quality opportunities to develop themselves personally, to prepare themselves for life beyond school. This begins from the moment pupils start at the school. Pupils visit shops and sports centres, interact with members of the public, use money, and buy their own food. This builds pupils’ confidence and resilience as they successfully manage a range of social situations.

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Comprehensive careers education, information, advice, and guidance is available to pupils. Sixth-form students develop their aspirations to consider a range of professions. A wide range of bespoke work-placement opportunities and other practical experiences are offered. The school organises an exceptional future careers event. This reinforces the school’s belief that there are no limits to what pupils here can achieve. 14 and 15 January 2025

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Governors share the school’s high ambition for pupils. Staff value the support that they receive for their well-being and workload. They appreciate the time the school gives them to carry out their responsibilities effectively. Staff are very proud to work at the school.

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Parents and carers are effusive in their praise for the school. They typically say that it is ‘fantastic’ and that staff ‘go above and beyond’ in all they do for the children and their families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour, or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in November 2013.

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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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Heads of School

Kim Cepeda-Wilson (Head of School Crewe), Kirsty Arthur (Head of School Wilmslow) Website www.springfield.cheshire.sch.uk

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Heads of School

Date of previous inspection 12 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Springfield School has expanded since the last inspection. It now has a second site in Wilmslow. The address of this site is Springfield School Wilmslow, Dean Row Road, Wilmslow SK9 2HA.  All pupils at the school have an education, health, and care (EHC) plan. The school caters for pupils with a range of, often complex, needs including those with severe learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder and pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Where appropriate, the inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in evaluating the school.  Inspectors spoke with the executive headteacher, heads of school, deputy headteachers, other leaders and staff in the school, including those responsible for pastoral care.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with an independent school advisor and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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Information about this inspection

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.  Inspectors held discussions with staff, which focused on their own workload and well- being.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including documents relating to school improvement.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey for pupils as well as speaking with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.

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Inspection team

Sue Eastwood, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Deborah Bailey Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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