Leeds academy praised for creating 'nurturing environment' for pupils in first Ofsted inspection for six years
An academy in south Leeds has been praised for creating a “nurturing environment” during its first Ofsted inspection for six years.
Springwell Leeds Academy South, located on Middleton Road, Belle Isle, has been reaffirmed as a Good school by Ofsted, following an inspection on March 25 and 26.
The school continues to build on its last full inspection in 2019, which saw it rated as Good in all four inspected categories - effectiveness of leadership and management, quality of teaching learning and assessment, personal development behaviour and welfare and outcomes for pupils.
Part of the Wellspring Academy Trust, the school is located at the same postcode as Southway Independent School.
The education watchdog said: “High-quality positive relationships are central to the nurturing environment at Springwell Leeds. Pupils engage well with all aspects of their education in the positive and calm culture. Staff understand what will work for each pupil.
“Pupils appreciate the strong relationships they build with staff. They know who to share any worries or concerns with. This helps them to feel safe. Staff provide an environment where pupils develop their social skills and learn to manage their own emotions.”
The school is described, by inspectors, as “highly ambitious for all its pupils”, demonstrating a strong positive regard towards the well-being of all.
Teaching pupils to read is central to the “rigorous curriculum.” Staff have worked diligently to improve the curriculum and “adapt work consistently well.”
Inspectors report that pupils are able to concentrate on their work as “behaviour is managed well.” Staff are clear about the behaviours that they expect from pupils and act swiftly where needed.
Focusing on areas of further improvement, they added: “A number of pupils do not attend regularly enough. This means that some pupils continue to miss valuable learning. The school should develop its approaches to support these pupils to return to school regularly and often.
“In a few curriculum subjects, the use of assessment to support pupils’ progress over time is not as strong as it could be. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and are sometimes not benefiting from being able to deepen their understanding. The school should ensure that assessment is used effectively to improve pupils’ knowledge gained in these subjects.”
Staff at Springwell “carefully consider” the information in pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans to ensure that the correct provision is in place to meet their learning, social and emotional needs.
Pupils are “consistently given opportunities” to learn about themselves and build secure, positive relationships with others.