Springcroft Primary School

Springcroft Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary school with a welcoming and inclusive ethos, where pupils are known well and feel safe. Inspectors found attendance and behaviour to be particular strengths: pupils attend regularly, behave calmly and respectfully, and benefit from clear routines and positive relationships from the early years onwards. Personal development and wellbeing are also strong, with a well-planned programme, a wide range of enrichment opportunities and meaningful pupil leadership roles. The school provides an expected standard of education across achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, and leadership and governance. Pupils achieve above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2, phonics outcomes are strong, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are generally well supported. Safeguarding standards are met, and leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and improvement priorities. The main areas for further development concern assessment. Staff do not consistently use assessment information to plan pupils’ next steps, so some pupils receive work that is too demanding or not challenging enough. Assessment information is also not always used precisely enough to plan support for pupils with specific barriers to learning, and leaders should strengthen the consistent application of handwriting across subjects.

Strengths

• High attendance supported by robust systems and close work with families
• Calm, respectful and positive school culture with clear routines
• Pupils behave well in lessons and social times and take pride in their work
• Strong personal development and wellbeing programme tailored to the school community
• Wide range of enrichment, visits and clubs with good participation from disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Well-sequenced PSHE curriculum covering relationships, wellbeing and online safety
• Pupils value leadership roles and develop responsibility
• Pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of fundamental British values
• Strong phonics teaching and above-national Year 1 phonics outcomes
• Above-national attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2
• Early years provision gives children a strong start, especially in communication and language
• Inclusive culture with early identification of barriers and effective support for vulnerable pupils
• Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school and provide appropriate support and challenge
• Staff feel respected and supported, with well-planned professional development
• Parents and carers are highly positive about the school
• Safeguarding standards are met within an open and positive culture

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment information is not consistently used to plan pupils’ next steps
• Some pupils receive work that is too demanding or lacks sufficient challenge
• Assessment information is not always used precisely enough to plan support for pupils’ specific barriers to learning
• Handwriting skills are not consistently applied across subjects
• Staff need stronger expertise in identifying specific barriers to learning

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 Springcroft Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.8% 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 Springcroft Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 Springcroft Primary School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 22.7% of pupils at Springcroft Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 Springcroft Primary School received £6,329 and spent £6,601 for each of its 211 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £134,000 (-£635 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 Stoke-On-Trent · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Springcroft Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Springcroft Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Springcroft Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Springcroft Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Springcroft Primary School have?

Springcroft Primary School has 211 pupils on roll.

What age range does Springcroft Primary School cover?

Springcroft Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Springcroft Primary School?

Springcroft Primary School is at Grindley Lane, Blythe Bridge, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST11 9JS.