Spring Grove Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a nurturing and inclusive school. Pupils are keen to come to school and learn well.

Parents and carers speak highly of the school and consider it both welcoming and supportive of their child's individual talents and interests. The school has created a strong sense of community.

The school provides an array of enrichment activities and trips so that pupils gain valuable life experiences.

Pupils attend a range of clubs, including crochet, chess, gymnastics, cooking, cricket and gardening. Some clubs have been successfully introduced and led by pupils such as coding and art. Pupils take part in singing assemblies and competitions with other schools and a...ttend events such as 'Aspiration Week' where they hear from a range of speakers and visitors.

Pupils' behaviour is largely respectful and courteous. In class, they are generally motivated to learn. Many eagerly take on leadership roles, including house captains, eco-warriors, peer mentors and school council representatives.

Pupils feel safe and are confident that they can talk to staff if they have any concerns. The school works well with parents to ensure attendance is high.

The school has high expectations for the achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils study an ambitious and broad curriculum. Leaders ensure parents are well informed.

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

The school provides an ambitious curriculum which is carefully sequenced to build on pupils' previous knowledge and deepen their understanding over time.

Important knowledge for the pupils to learn is chosen well and enrichment activities help bring that learning to life. For example, pupils visited Turner's House and took part in a workshop to create their own art exhibition, while younger pupils used the music of Wynton Marsalis to inspire their artwork.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and the curriculum is delivered effectively.

Pupils remember what they have been taught and typically produce work of high quality. Teachers ensure that pupils use ambitious vocabulary and apply the correct terminology. Explanations and modelling of new ideas and skills are often expertly delivered.

In the early years, the learning environment is considered well, and staff interactions with children support language development well. For example, in Nursery, adults take an effective approach to exploring the composition of number through a range of fun and interactive activities. However, sometimes teaching, across the school, does not routinely check that pupils have understood important concepts before moving on to new content.

When this occurs, pupils may not have misconceptions addressed and errors may persist.

Teachers are provided with thorough information about the needs of pupils with SEND and make adaptations successfully where required. This means that these pupils are well supported to learn the curriculum alongside their peers.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to read fluently. The phonics programme is set out and sequenced in a logical way to build knowledge gradually and securely. Pupils practise reading with books that match the sounds taught in class.

Staff are skilled in helping pupils to read. Where pupils have gaps in their understanding, effective support is put into place quickly. Storytime, and high-quality texts chosen higher up the school, encourage a love of reading.

Children in the early years learn and play with each other cooperatively. They are curious learners and are learning to manage their emotions. Staff develop children's perseverance and concentration well.

Older pupils are polite and confident. At times, a few pupils fall short of the school's behaviour expectations and need reminders in order to behave well. Sometimes there is low-level disruption in lessons, usually when teaching has moved on to new content when a few pupils have not secured the previous learning.

However, pupils care for each other and represent the school very well. The school works closely with parents to ensure attendance is high. Parents value the strong pastoral care provided.

Personal, social, health and economic education is very well organised. The school's ethos to be kind and true, along with its values of curiosity, aspiration, resilience and empathy are well embedded. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

Equality and the celebration of diversity are priorities of the school. Pupils are taught how to stay healthy and how to keep themselves safe, including online. A range of wider experiences are provided to develop pupils' confidence and interests further.

Pupils are proud of their 'cultural capital passports' and eagerly talk about the trips they have been on.

Staff are valued and are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported by leaders and are provided with high-quality professional development.

Leaders at all levels are reflective and committed to further improvement. Governors and leaders work together to drive a culture of ambition and create a nurturing environment for pupils to flourish.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, checks on pupils' understanding are not completed systematically or consistently. This means that some pupils do not have the knowledge they need in order to build on their learning effectively and may have some unidentified misconceptions. Leaders should ensure that routine checks on pupils' understanding are completed and any misconceptions addressed before moving on through the curriculum.

• High expectations for pupils' behaviour are not fully embedded or commonly understood by all staff. This means that some pupils fall short of those high standards and there is some low-level disruption that impacts learning. Leaders should ensure that expectations of pupils' conduct are consistently high and in line with the school's policy so that pupils adopt a responsible attitude to their learning.