Earby Springfield Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 April 2024

This is a welcoming school that provides a caring and inclusive place for pupils to learn. The school instils in pupils the importance of respect. It places high importance on building pupils' self-esteem. Pupils value the positive relationships that they have with staff. They trust that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns. This helps pupils to feel happy at school. The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils across the school, including children in the early years, behave well. This means that they can get on with their learning without disruption. Those who need extra support in managing their emotions are supported well by staff. Pupils value the opportunities that they have to take on responsibilities such as being head pupil or a member of the school council. Such experiences teach them about the importance of teamwork and responsibility. The school is ambitious for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. However, pupils do not achieve as well as they should in some subjects. This is because the curriculum in these subjects is not consistently taught in the way that the school intends.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not teach parts of the essential knowledge set out in the curriculum in sufficient detail. This includes vocabulary. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers have the training that they need to deliver the curriculum as intended, so that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education.
• In phonics, the school does not ensure that the gaps in knowledge that some pupils have are identified accurately. This means that some learning activities do not help these pupils build up a secure body of phonics knowledge. The school should ensure that assessment systems are used effectively and inform appropriate learning activities that help these pupils catch up with their peers.
• A few staff do not deliver the school's phonics and early reading programme as intended. This hinders how well some pupils learn to read. The school should ensure that staff have the training that they need to deliver the programme effectively, so that pupils learn to read fluently and confidently.
• In some areas of learning within the early years curriculum, staff are not clear on what children need to learn. This means that some activities do not support children to learn well or to develop their spoken language. The school should ensure that staff use assessment information to devise learning activities that help children build up a deep body of knowledge.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)