Springwood Heath Primary School

Springwood Heath Primary is a distinctive, happy school where pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), thrive. All key judgements are good, and the school has improved rapidly since its previous inspection. A new headteacher and leadership team have acted decisively, particularly by redesigning the curriculum so that it is well organised and meets pupils’ different needs, including those in the specially resourced provision for physical disability. Strengths include well-tailored SEND support, positive behaviour and attitudes, strong personal development, effective early years provision, improving attendance and better governance. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The most recently published 2023 outcomes showed too many pupils leaving Year 2 and Year 6 poorly prepared, but the report explains this reflected pandemic impact, weaknesses in the previous curriculum and high absence, not the current quality of education. The main areas for improvement are reading and retention of key knowledge. Some staff lack the expertise to deliver extra reading support consistently well, so some older pupils with gaps struggle to become fluent, confident readers. Teachers also do not always emphasise the most important knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary, meaning some pupils are less secure in recalling learning over time.

Strengths

• Pupils, including those with SEND and in the specially resourced provision, thrive and achieve well.
• Staff know pupils exceptionally well and provide well-tailored support for complex SEND needs.
• The redesigned curriculum is well organised and meets the different needs of pupils successfully.
• Pupils are welcoming, proud of their diverse school and typically behave well.
• Early years provision helps children learn routines quickly and build phonics knowledge well.
• Pupils’ wider development is strong, including health, online safety and understanding diversity.
• New leadership has won confidence, raised morale and considered staff workload and well-being.
• Governors have improved oversight and ask probing questions to hold leaders to account.
• Attendance is improving through close partnership with parents and carers.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff lack the expertise to deliver extra reading support consistently well, so some older pupils with reading gaps struggle to become fluent readers.
• Teachers do not always focus on the key knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary pupils need, so some pupils are less secure in recalling learning over time.
• Some staff remain unsure what knowledge to emphasise and rehearse after recent curriculum changes.
• Published 2023 outcomes showed too many pupils left Year 2 and Year 6 poorly prepared for their next stage.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Springwood Heath Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.4% of pupils at Springwood Heath Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Springwood Heath Primary School had 12.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 36.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 18.0% of pupils at Springwood Heath Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 32.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 59 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Springwood Heath Primary School received £14,011 and spent £13,336 for each of its 211 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £798,000 (-£3,781 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Liverpool · Liverpool local authority: places and applications

What is Springwood Heath Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Springwood Heath Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Springwood Heath Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Springwood Heath Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Springwood Heath Primary School have?

Springwood Heath Primary School has 211 pupils on roll.

What age range does Springwood Heath Primary School cover?

Springwood Heath Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Springwood Heath Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Springwood Heath Primary School?

Springwood Heath Primary School is at Danefield Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L19 4TL.