Ofsted

Spring Cottage Primary School remains Outstanding!

We have had a long wait since the Ofsted Inspection, which took place in November 2023, but finally the report has been released and I can now let it be known that the school has yet again been graded as Outstanding in all areas.

This is a significant achievement for both the school and the community. Last inspected in 2008, we felt that as a school we had continued to grow and develop every year since then. However, since this time the bar for Outstanding has risen immeasurably; in fact across the previous year only 4% of primary schools inspected nationally were graded as Outstanding overall.

The outcome was shared with the staff and governors at the end of the second day of inspection. It was an incredibly emotional moment for all of us. This is because the emotional investment in this school by everybody connected with it has been immense, and this outcome is a true reflection of their work.

Over the course of the two days, the inspectors forensically investigated the school provision and culture across a wide range of areas. These included:

Early Reading and Phonics
Mathematics
History
Art
Physical Education
Special Educational Needs
Safeguarding
Personal Development
Behaviour and attitudes
Early Years

The report references ‘The school’ continually. This to me emphasises the importance everyone plays in our success. It is not because of one person, or key leaders or individual teachers. Every person has played their role. I am very lucky to be in the privileged position that I am – but even luckier to be leading the most incredible team of dedicated and committed staff. I would like to thank all of them, past and present, for their role in this outcome.

One of the biggest elements of the inspection was pupil voice. As always our pupils were amazing. As many of you know if you have been in classrooms, concerts and assemblies, their work ethic and enthusiasm for school life is second to none. Their outstanding attitudes were displayed in every classroom and we are all so proud of them.

Our governors, two of whom have served the school for well over twenty years, were praised for the dedication and ambition they have set out for our school over the years. Their support and guidance over the last decade has been crucial in the success of the school - it is hard to put into words how much this has meant to me as headteacher.

I would also like to thank all of the parents and carers. Your response through the parent survey and through conversations with inspectors was fundamental in our successful outcome. The result of the inspection is your success too and down to the strong partnerships that exist between home and school. We could not be who we are without you.

After two days the inspectors understood exactly what it meant to be a member of the Spring Cottage community. I think over the years and through continual hard work we have created something rather special, and for one day we should be allowed to give ourselves a pat on the back. And then the hard work will continue...

Please find our latest inspection report below.

Mr A. Rhodes

Executive Headteacher

Download our latest Ofsted report below:-

Visit our school specific page on the Ofsted website here:

Spring Cottage Primary School - Ofsted landing page

Understanding a school inspection report

School inspection reports will have information such as:

how well inspectors think the school is doing and what it could do to make things even better
how well pupils are doing, both in their education and their overall well-being and personal development
what parents and carers think about the school
how up to date the school buildings are, including any boarding school living accommodation
how any problems or complaints are dealt with
how the school complies with rules and regulations.

Parent View

Parent View gives you the chance to tell Ofsted what you think about your child’s school.

You can also access 'Parent View' by clicking below.

parentview.ofsted.gov.uk