Self Evaluation and Development

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At Springfield, we self-evaluate rigorously and take pride in our culture of high ambition and self-improvement. As part of our self review process, we write a Self Evaluation Form (SEF). The table below shares a summary of our self-evaluation for April 2023 to March 2024.

Overall Effectiveness

Grade: 

Outstanding

 An exceptional curriculum, highly effective quality-first teaching and a relentless commitment from the entire community to set and achieve ambitious outcomes for all pupils characterise Springfield.  From their starting points in EYFS, children at Springfield make secure and sustained progress. This is reflected in the outcomes at the end of KS1 and 2, which are consistently in line with or above national averages.  Positivity, respect and collaboration are at the heart of Springfield’s culture.  Springfield’s Commitments ensure, all pupils and staff understand that respect, reaching high, being positive and teamwork are core values which underpin our actions and choices at school. By making and keeping these commitments as a community, children learn, grow and thrive; leaving the school at the end of Year 6 exceptionally well prepared for their next stage and secure in the knowledge that we can learn together, grow together and make a difference.
Quality of Education

Grade:

Outstanding

 The quality of education provided is outstanding. Leaders have designed a diverse, ambitious, knowledge-rich curriculum to inspire, engage and challenge all children. The vision for the curriculum is focused on four key components: knowledge, vocabulary, reading and enriching experiences. Drawing on cognitive science, curriculum sequencing ensures that disciplinary, substantive and procedural knowledge are embedded and remembered over time. Highly effective teachers and support staff create classroom environments with high expectations and engagement from all children. Quality first teaching deepens knowledge of the subjects studied and ensures that pupils make strong progress from individual starting points. Reading is at the heart of learning.  A highly effective, systematic approach to the teaching of phonics ensures that children develop strong reading skills from an early age. Whole class reading lessons ensure that pupils develop the vocabulary and comprehension skills they need to become confident and fluent readers. Anyone who faces barriers with learning to read gets the expert help they need to learn to read successfully . Outcomes at the end of all phases in mathematics are a strength. Within a mastery approach, responsive teaching and evidence-informed intervention are successful in closing gaps and addressing misconceptions.  Teachers skilfully adapt plans for pupils with SEND and they achieve exceptionally well. 
Behaviour and Attitudes

Grade:

Outstanding

 The behaviour and attitudes of pupils is excellent.   All members of staff make effective use of Commitments and Verse: principles and values which create a consistently positive climate for learning and which ensure that all pupils feel safe, valued and empowered to learn.  Pupils show real determination in their learning.  Relationships between staff and children are a strength. The school is highly inclusive with only one fixed-term exclusion and no permanent exclusions in the last six years. The school works systematically with parents to ensure that children attend school regularly and on time. The school’s strategies to prevent bullying are highly effective and help to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils. 
Personal Development

Grade:

Outstanding

 Springfield’s Commitments are woven through the curriculum to ensure that all pupils learn, grow and thrive.  The school’s ambitious vision for the curriculum reaches far beyond the core subjects. Through the broad range of subjects taught, children develop as responsible, respectful and active citizens who are able to reach out further into the world. 

At Springfield, every child’s voice is valued. It is the V in the school VERSE. As a Rights Respecting school children learn to value their right to express themselves freely and the right of others to do the same. The school empowers children to be thoughtful, respectful citizens, able to participate in dialogue, discussion and debates. The school takes the physical and mental health of all pupils very seriously. From EYFS, all pupils are taught how to eat healthily, prepare nutritious meals, and to maintain an active lifestyle.  The school’s most disadvantaged pupils consistently benefit from the school’s enrichment opportunities due to leaders targeting these children for participation and ensuring access. The school’s curriculum and provision promote equality of opportunity and diversity effectively; this is a strength. The quality of the pastoral support offered to pupils is exceptional. 
Leadership & Management

Grade:

Outstanding

 Evidence-informed approaches and highly effective collaboration underpins leadership and management at Springfield. Drawing on learning from the professional NPQ frameworks, leaders have developed a strong knowledge of the social context of the school, its curriculum and the routines and behaviours that are effective in the school’s context. All leaders share a relentless and uncompromising pursuit of excellence, providing a strong sense of direction and are focused clearly on the learning and achievement of all pupils. There is a clear moral purpose and a passionate, shared belief that the school can impact on the lives and life chances of pupils. Leaders are proactive in creating coherence and consistency across the school in the teaching of the curriculum and the management of behaviour which ensures that pupils benefit from effective teaching and consistent expectations. Leaders prioritise the wellbeing of the team through Springfield’s ‘WELLS’ of wellbeing (Welcome, Enjoyment, Learning, Listening, Support). Staff voice reflects a positive, caring and open culture.
Quality of Education in Early Years

Grade:

Outstanding

 At the heart of the curriculum is a belief that every child can make excellent progress in their learning and thrive with the right support. This ambition and commitment is shared by all staff. The EYFS curriculum has been carefully sequenced with clear progression mapped across into KS1 and 2. All groups of learners demonstrate strong progress from their starting points. Strong support is in place for any child who needs additional support for their learning.  As a result, all groups of learners demonstrate strong progress from their starting points in Nursery or Reception.

School development priorities.

We are proud of the strengths that we identify in our self-evaluation (SEF). As part of our constant pursuit of excellence and responsive culture, we also write an annual school improvement plan which we call our School Development Plan (SDP).  Our self-evaluation helps us identify target areas for growth and we also gather information from a variety of sources. These include external evaluations of our work by Federation partners and the Local Authority, the best available evidence from research, alongside our own extensive and detailed self-evaluation processes – our data analysis, staff appraisal processes, lesson observations, book looks, pupil progress meetings, work with our governors (LAB members) and surveys of children, parents and staff.  Please see below for the priorities for 23-24:

Priorities for 23/24 Our strategic priorities are:
  • Use the DfE Primary Mathematics Guidance and NCETM Primary Mastery materials to further develop teacher subject knowledge and pedagogy in teaching for mastery in mathematics across all phases. 
  • Strengthen family and community engagement through communications, workshops, events and forums. 
  • Further enrich our reading curriculum, with a particular focus on: embedding generative and dialogic learning tasks in reading lessons, investing in non-fiction texts and securing a grant for significant investment in books for the library. 
Continuous school improvement priorities:
  • Enrich the writing curriculum to have an enhanced proactive and responsive focus on common grammatical gaps/ errors/ areas of need for our children. 
  • To further deepen pupils’ oracy skills to enable pupils to communicate effectively and think deeply both in the explicit teaching of oracy within the writing curriculum and across the breadth of subjects/areas of learning through structured/modelled talk activities.
  • Use robust budget monitoring and forecasting to ensure financial sustainability. 
  • Ensure that provision and outcomes for SEND pupils are sustained by embedding EEF evidence informed approaches to ensure excellent progress and access to our curriculum. 
  • To monitor the progress of disadvantaged pupils, adapting provision responsively and ensuring that our PPG strategy is effectively implemented to secure strong outcomes for pupils. 
  • Design and implement an evidence-based CPD curriculum which is tailored to develop professionals at all levels. 
  • Develop a culture of proactive and continual reflection on equality, diversity and inclusion and actively promote equity of opportunity amongst under-represented groups. Promote children’s rights throughout the curriculum as enshrined in the UNCRC. 
  • Attendance figures are in line with or better than national average and the rate of persistent absenteeism is steadily decreasing.