Springfield Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 February 2024

Pupils at Springfield Primary are happy and polite. The warm relationships between pupils and staff mean that pupils are well cared for and enjoy coming to school. The school wants pupils at Springfield to achieve their best. It has high expectations, and pupils rise to this challenge. Most pupils in key stages 1 and 2 achieve well in English and mathematics. However, the curriculum in the reception classes does not prepare children well for Year 1. Pupils behave well in lessons and are keen to learn. They play well with one another on the playground and make the most of the equipment available. Activities, led by West Bromwich Albion football club, help keep them fit and healthy. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They say that staff are there to help them if they fall out with their friends. Despite the school's best efforts, some pupils do not attend school frequently enough and this slows down their progress. Pupils benefit from a range of extra-curricular opportunities such as residential trips, theatre visits and sporting clubs and learn a musical instrument. Pupils learn to be active citizens. They regularly take part in community fundraising activities.

What the school should improve

• The early years curriculum is not clearly planned and well sequenced. This means that children are not sufficiently prepared for Year 1. The school should prioritise the development of a curriculum that builds on what children know and can do and enables them to develop sufficient knowledge and skills for their future learning.
• In a few subjects, the curriculum is still being refined and is not yet fully embedded. Where this is the case, pupils do not build their knowledge as effectively as they do in other subjects. The school should ensure that it focuses on embedding its agreed curriculum in these subjects so that pupils learn equally well across all subjects.
• The use of assessment is not yet implemented securely in a small number of subjects. This means that teachers are unsure of what gaps there are in pupils' learning. The school should implement its agreed assessment procedures in all subjects so that teachers can identify what pupils already know and what they need to learn next.

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