Schools & FE · Report card

Dixons Silver Springs Primary

Inspected 21 Jul 2026 · published 5 Oct 2026 · URN 137951

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Tim Vaughan (lead), Emily Morris, Jonny Foster-Carr, Kate Bowker

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Needs attention
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
21 Jul 2026
Inspectors verified
Emily Morris, Jonny Foster-Carr, Kate Bowker, Tim Vaughan
Postcode verified
SK15 1EA
Name on report verified
Dixons Silver Springs Primary
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
137951

Page 1 of 16

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

mixed

A school where safeguarding is met and pupils feel safe, but reading and curriculum knowledge need improvement.

Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe. Attendance, behaviour and provision for pupils with SEND are strong, and the trust is providing additional expertise. Some pupils have gaps in reading and writing, and some teaching does not build well enough on what pupils already know.

Going well

Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe
Attendance is rising in line with the national average
Pupils behave well and bullying is taken seriously
The specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND is highly successful
Staff feel well supported through the change of trust

To improve

Close gaps in pupils' knowledge of the basics of reading and writing
Improve the proportion of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading
Improve teaching so pupils remember and build on previous learning
Make sure teaching activities help pupils learn curriculum content successfully

Summary written by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the report text. It can miss nuance: the report itself is the record.

Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementNeeds attention
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
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.

+56Positivemore positive than 26% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositivesuccessfullyflourisheffectivehighly skilledfeel safeeffectivelyclear

Criticismconcernsgapsnot successfulseriouslystrugglebelownot effectivelynot clear

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1340w+52
Leadership264w+80
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve83w+33

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

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

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,738; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Fairly hard; Flesch 51, typical 43
Average sentence: 17 words
Next steps: 3; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 12%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 43%Leadership 9%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 3%About the inspection 44%

Full report text

Dixons Silver Springs Primary

Address: School Crescent, Stalybridge, Cheshire, SK15 1EA Unique reference number (URN): 137951

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:

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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

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders, including those from the trust, keep a close check on pupils’ rates of attendance and on standards of behaviour. The trust has clear ways to compare the school’s work against that of its other schools, and it successfully challenges and supports the school to continually improve pupils’ rates of attendance. Over time, leaders’ determined actions have resulted in pupils’ attendance rising in line with the national average. Leaders’ focus on persistent absences is reducing this issue year-on-year. Leaders welcome pupils who were often absent from their previous school to Dixons Silver Springs Primary. Staff work to build positive new habits of attendance by these pupils, giving them a full chance to gain the education that they need.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The positive, supportive culture that leaders have established helps pupils to behave well. Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning. They move about the school calmly and follow the school's rules. Leaders support any child who may struggle with managing their behaviour. Leaders and staff intervene successfully to manage any bullying between pupils. Pupils know that the school never tolerates other serious issues, such as discrimination. Pupils’ understanding of how to behave at school, at home and in the community starts from a solid footing.

p.2

Early years Expected standard

Leaders give much consideration to their early years curriculum and the experiences that they want children to have at the school. Teaching builds children’s communication and language successfully, as well as their personal and physical skills. Typically, staff talk with children and explain important words to them. Staff create teaching opportunities to introduce important concepts to the children. For example, they explain about 2-dimensional shapes in mathematics and how to make a map from a bird's-eye view. Children make suitable progress through the curriculum. Generally, the Reception Year lays the groundwork for children’s learning in Year 1.

p.2

Early years Expected standard

Staff are genuinely interested in the children and make them the focus of their attention. This leads to high-quality relationships in which children feel safe and secure, such as with their named key person.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff make effective links with parents and carers to support children’s learning at home. Staff make use of parents’ concerns and the school’s own checks to spot any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school collaborates well with other professionals to secure expert help for these children, should they need it. Children who attend the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND benefit much from the school’s carefully crafted curriculum and expert teaching.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

At the heart of this school is leaders’ ambition to celebrate and support each pupil’s uniqueness. The school links well with other professionals and with parents and carers to understand the needs of each pupil. Mostly, staff pinpoint and respond to the barriers to pupils’ learning and wellbeing swiftly and accurately, such as for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). On occasion, some of the school’s work to identify and act on pupils’ needs is less clear and successful.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff understand the impact of poverty, disadvantage and SEND on the lives of pupils and their families. The school support parents with whatever help or advice that it can provide. Leaders use extra funding carefully to enhance the education of disadvantaged pupils.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Parents whose children access the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND speak of the far-reaching impact that this has on them. In response to any changes in pupils’ wellbeing, learning or behaviour, the highly skilled staff in that provision adapt their support for pupils quickly and effectively. Leaders, including from the trust, make sure that pupils who attend alternative provision used by the school have their needs met. Pupils are acknowledged, respected and feel that they belong.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

At the core of leaders’ success is their commitment to provide a welcoming and aspirational education for all of the school's pupils. Part of the school is a new and highly successful specially resourced provision for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In addition, leaders welcome pupils with a range of other needs, such as pupils who may have struggled with their learning at other schools.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders managed the recent change of the school from being part of one academy trust to becoming part of another with skill, determination and patience. This process has enhanced the school’s work. Staff feel well supported to understand the new arrangements for the running of the school. They are positive about leaders’ support for their workload, wellbeing and their teaching of pupils.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders, including from the trust, have recently set the school on a clear and ambitious path of development for its long-term future. To build on the school’s successes, the trust has added further expertise to the oversight and development of many aspects of the school’s work. For example, the school now has even more expertise on safeguarding, SEND, curriculum and teaching. The quality of pupils’ education already benefits from this new phase of the school’s life. For instance, teachers’ work now connects well to that of other schools on how to build pupils’ knowledge successfully.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

The trust understands the school’s strengths and priorities. Its board of trustees has clear ways to check on the work of leaders. It provides suitable challenge about the school’s current achievements and its main goals for further improvement.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders think carefully how the school’s provision can build new opportunities for pupils’ wider development. Staff teach pupils, such as those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the wider skills that they need for their future lives. For the pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, leaders match the

p.3

Needs attention

development of these skills well to pupils’ needs. For example, pupils learn to deal with their own personal care needs, manage their emotions and play alongside others. Leaders and staff guide all pupils at the school in how to respond to changes in routines and experiences, such as when they join a new class or move up to secondary school.

p.4

Needs attention

The school has selected a suitable curriculum that it uses for pupils’ education about relationships and health. Leaders carefully consider where to add further topics, such as to teach pupils about respect for women and girls. This focus is part of the school’s wider, successful work to develop pupils’ understanding of what is right, fair and equal.

p.4

Needs attention

Pupils develop an adequate knowledge of fundamental British values. For instance, they know why Britain has laws that help to keep everyone safe and prevent crime. Pupils recognise that democracy means that their own views matter about different issues. They know that families can be different.

p.4

Needs attention

Staff teach pupils how to act sensibly near bodies of water, such as the local dam. Leaders and staff teach pupils many topics about online safety. For example, staff guide pupils about the dangers of social media use and how to respond to any upsetting online content.

p.4

Needs attention

Leaders select informative educational trips to enhance pupils’ wider knowledge, for example visits to Tatton Park, a museum and an air raid shelter. Pupils are particularly pleased with the extra skills that they develop through the school’s workshops, such as those on skipping, cycling and first aid.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

In some year groups, some current pupils have gaps in their knowledge of the basics of reading and writing. Over time, the proportion of pupils in Year 6 whose reading meets the expected standard is below average. In addition, some pupils do not remember well what staff have taught them previously in some curriculum subjects. This means that the school does not prepare some pupils as well as it could for the next stage of their education.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ attainment is improving year on year. Their outcomes in mathematics and writing by the end of Year 6 are similar to the national average. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well. Typically, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make positive progress through the school’s curriculum. Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND flourish academically, socially and emotionally.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The school has suitable, logically ordered subject curriculums that offer the breadth and depth of knowledge that pupils need to learn. However, some teaching does not match well to what leaders intend. Some activities that teachers design do not help pupils to learn curriculum content successfully. Leaders and staff enthuse pupils about the joys of books and reading. This starts well in the early years. However, throughout the school, some teaching does not build effectively enough on pupils’ knowledge of the basics of reading and writing. On occasion, teachers' decisions are less successful about what pupils need to practise, revisit or build on when they learn to read and write.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders provide staff with helpful professional learning that develops their subject knowledge. Leaders from the multi-academy trust now responsible for the school have an in-depth understanding of effective curriculum and teaching in the primary phase, including in reading and writing. The trust’s actions have started to enhance the quality of teaching at the school effectively.

p.5

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Generally, staff adapt their support to enable pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn well. In the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, leaders have set up a well-designed curriculum offer. Capable staff expertly teach the pupils who access this resource.

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