Schools & FE · Report card

Southey Green Nursery & Primary School

Inspected 13 Jan 2026 · URN 139133

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Philippa Kermotschuk (lead), Michael Rowland, Richard Jones, Shazia Azhar

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
13 Jan 2026
Inspectors verified
Michael Rowland, Philippa Kermotschuk, Richard Jones, Shazia Azhar
Postcode verified
S5 7QG
Name on report verified
Southey Green Nursery & Primary School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
139133

Page 1 of 16

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+72Very positivemore positive than 48% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praiseeffectivelyeffectivehigh expectationsstrongpositiveconsistentlysecurehighly skilled

Criticismconcernsgapsseriouslypersistent absencestrugglepersistently absentnot improvednot consistently

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1549w+77
Leadership253w+58
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve108w+45

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

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Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,957; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 44, typical 43
Average sentence: 14 words
Next steps: 4; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 7%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 51%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 4%About the inspection 35%

Full report text

Southey Green Nursery & Primary School

Address: Crowder Avenue, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S5 7QG Unique reference number (URN): 139133

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils make secure progress through the curriculum, particularly in English and mathematics. In these subjects, the progress pupils make is above the national average, including for disadvantaged pupils. The outcomes of national tests show that most pupils achieve well by the end of key stage 2.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Many pupils achieve the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. This is also the case in the Year 4 multiplication tables check.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

The school places a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ core knowledge and skills. While this work has not fully translated into improved outcomes at the end of key stage 2, staff generally identify and address gaps in these basic skills quickly.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils do not currently achieve as well in the foundation subjects as they do in English and mathematics. They find it more difficult to recall their learning in these subjects, often only remembering isolated activities or facts.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Attendance is a key priority for the school. Leaders track it closely. They use a wide range of strategies to address barriers that prevent pupils from attending regularly. These approaches are having a demonstrable impact, reflected in improvements in the attendance of some individuals and key groups. Although persistent absence has reduced for specific groups over time, it remains high overall. Some pupils still do not attend as regularly as they should. Leaders engage proactively with parents and carers to understand the challenges they face. The recent expansion of the inclusion team is further strengthening this work.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils engage positively during lessons. Most are keen to learn and take pride in their work. Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils benefit from warm relationships with adults and predictable routines. Adults supervise breaktimes effectively, providing structured activities and consistently reinforcing expectations. Pupils speak confidently about their friendships and the wider school environment, reflecting that they feel safe and happy. Overall, behaviour across the school is positive. Leaders use effective systems to track behaviour incidents and coordinate support for pupils and families. Trained staff deliver a broad range of interventions that support pupils to manage their behaviour.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Pupils study a broad curriculum that prepares them effectively for the next stage of their education. Subjects are coherently sequenced, helping pupils to build their knowledge over time. Pupils regularly revisit prior learning to help them remember important content. Teachers check pupils' understanding and generally use this information well to inform next steps. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. Staff benefit from comprehensive training that develops their subject knowledge. The school has implemented teaching and learning principles to support effective delivery of the curriculum. However, these are not applied consistently, resulting in a small amount of variation in the quality of teaching across subjects and year groups.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Recent changes to the teaching of writing are beginning to strengthen pupils' basic skills. In the early years, there is a sharp focus on developing children's readiness for writing.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Most pupils quickly become competent readers. Staff teach phonics consistently well from Reception Year onwards. Pupils who struggle with reading receive timely support to help them catch up.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The revised mathematics curriculum enables pupils to secure essential number skills before progressing to more complex reasoning and problem-solving. Staff use concrete resources effectively to support pupils when concepts are difficult.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

The curriculum in the early years prioritises children's communication and language development. Staff receive training to ensure that interactions between adults and children are of a high quality. For the youngest children and those still at the early stages of learning to communicate, the school uses effective resources to support them. For example, at snack time, children in the provision for 2-year-olds use communication boards to indicate what they would like to drink. For children who need extra support, the school uses a range of effective speech and language interventions. As children move into Reception Year, they begin to learn phonics. Staff teach this well. As a result, children make secure progress through the phonics programme. This contributes to them being well prepared for Year 1.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Staff establish clear, consistent routines. These routines enable children to manage their emotions and access activities with increasing independence. Behaviour across the early years is settled and calm. Key persons focus on particular groups of children. Leaders assign these adults carefully to ensure positive relationships. From the outset, the school builds strong links with parents and carers. This support helps children to settle quickly when they move between the different phases of the early years provision.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

The school has established clear and effective systems for identifying additional needs and barriers to learning. It works closely with external agencies, including the virtual school and an educational psychologist. This collaboration ensures that pupils receive targeted, specialist support. Leaders maintain high expectations for all pupils. As a result, the support provided typically reduces barriers and contributes positively to pupils’ progress and achievement.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

The school’s internal provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well designed and informed by current research. Staff working in this provision are highly skilled, enabling pupils to learn in a safe, supportive environment. Staff benefit from regular training and guidance from leaders. This training enables them to make effective adaptations to lessons for pupils with SEND and others who may face barriers to learning. A wide range of interventions are used to support pupils. Leaders monitor these carefully to ensure that they have the intended impact on learning and wellbeing.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have a clear rationale for the use of pupil premium funding. Published outcomes show that disadvantaged pupils achieve well, particularly in English and mathematics.

p.4

Inclusion Expected standard

The school uses 2 registered alternative provisions appropriately and in pupils’ best interests.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school is in a secure position. Leaders have an accurate view of the school's strengths and have identified appropriate areas for improvement. Governance is stable. Governors are proactive and largely understand their role and responsibilities well. The trust is improving the communication systems between the local governing body and the trust board.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school's curriculum development is supported by the trust, with a range of conferences focused on developing teaching. The trust supports leaders to prioritise closing gaps in achievement for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils. School and trust leaders maintain high expectations for all pupils.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school’s approach to professional development begins with a robust induction process and extends through a carefully structured, trust ‑ aligned programme of ongoing learning. Staff training is tightly matched to the school's improvement priorities. Staff have access to a wide range of development opportunities that are designed to build long ‑ term retention and ensure consistency of practice. A strong culture of collaboration underpins this work, with leaders drawing on trust ‑ wide expertise to share good practice. Leaders use a systematic approach to check that professional development has an impact on pupils' learning and is closely linked to key results.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff feel well supported. They receive a wide range of training through staff meetings and can describe how they have enacted this in practice. They have sufficient time to fulfil their role effectively and feel able to talk to leaders if they have concerns about their workload or wellbeing.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school has created a well sequenced, comprehensive programme for personal development. This is delivered, in part, through the formal curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE). Pupils remember their learning from PSHE lessons. For example, they talk confidently about how to keep themselves safe online. Older pupils speak maturely about family structures, relationships and puberty. Parents and carers attend workshops that complement pupils' learning in PSHE. These workshops provide them with strategies to support their child at home. Leaders know the community well and understand the importance of breaking down barriers between home and school. They appreciate the value that parents can add to their child's education.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils understand the importance of being kind to others. They know the school's '3 Rs', and many of them live these out in practice. Pupils show respectful attitudes towards difference and diversity. They develop an understanding of fundamental British values and different faiths and recognise that differences between people are protected by law. However, pupils do not currently have detailed knowledge of these aspects of the curriculum and therefore do not fully understand their significance.

p.5

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school provides pupils with experiences that broaden their aspirations, talents and interests. This includes running an extensive and varied programme of extra-curricular clubs as well as holiday clubs. Leaders ensure that all pupils can access the offer, often making adjustments or adaptations to activities. The extra-curricular offer is regularly informed by pupils. The school helps to raise pupils' aspirations through visitors from different career backgrounds. Even the youngest children take part in role-play activities that encourage them to think about what they might like to be when they are older. Pupils visit local places of interest. Their learning is further enhanced through involvement in awareness events, such as Parliament Week, Human Rights Day and Road Safety Week.

p.5