Sheffield Springs Academy

Sheffield Springs Academy is a secondary comprehensive academy within the United Learning Trust. In this October 2024 graded inspection—its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic—the school was judged good in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade is given. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Pupils are reported to feel safe and to benefit from a culture of positive relationships and high behavioural expectations. The curriculum is well sequenced, key vocabulary is deliberately taught, and assessment is used to identify gaps, with tailored support for pupils with SEND. Reading, careers guidance, clubs and wider enrichment experiences are strengths. Leaders, governors and trustees work together, and staff workload and wellbeing are considered. However, recent national test outcomes do not yet match the school’s ambitions, although current pupils are showing stronger knowledge and recall. Key areas for improvement are that some pupils, particularly those with SEND, cannot yet work independently without additional support; persistent absence among disadvantaged pupils remains too high and limits achievement; and some parents feel communication and engagement are insufficient. The school is already working on these areas, including refining independent learning strategies, improving attendance with families and external agencies, and developing communication.

Strengths

• Strong culture of positive relationships and respect, with pupils feeling safe
• High expectations for behaviour that many pupils meet
• Well-sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge step by step
• Deliberate teaching of key vocabulary, with regular revisiting to aid recall
• Effective checks on pupils’ knowledge, including precision seating plans to target gaps
• Well-established SEND strategies that help pupils access an ambitious curriculum
• Daily reading opportunities and targeted phonics catch-up support
• High-quality careers guidance and a wide range of clubs and enrichment experiences
• Personal development experiences that prepare pupils for life in modern Britain
• Leaders, governors and trustees work together, and staff workload and wellbeing are valued
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, particularly those with SEND, cannot consistently apply knowledge independently without additional scaffolding
• Persistent absence among disadvantaged pupils is too high and limits their achievement
• Some parents feel the school does not communicate or engage with them effectively
• Recent national test outcomes do not yet reflect the school’s high expectations

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 Sheffield Springs Academy attended 86.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 38.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 11.1% of pupils at Sheffield Springs Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 10 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 Sheffield Springs Academy had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 19.9% of pupils at Sheffield Springs Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Sheffield Springs Academy received £9,670 and spent £8,687 for each of its 1,048 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £936,000 (£894 per pupil).

Across all 93 schools of United Learning Trust, income was £8,687 and spending £8,616 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Sheffield Springs Academy is part of United Learning Trust, which runs 98 schools. The nearest others:

• Sheffield Park Academy Sheffield
• High Hazels Nursery Infant Academy Sheffield
• High Hazels Junior School Sheffield
• Fir Vale Academy Sheffield
• Bank End Primary Academy Barnsley
• Barnsley Academy Barnsley
• Hunningley Primary Academy Barnsley
• Abbey Hey Primary Academy Manchester
• Stockport Academy Stockport
• Manchester Academy Manchester

What is Sheffield Springs Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sheffield Springs Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Sheffield Springs Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Sheffield Springs Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Sheffield Springs Academy have?

Sheffield Springs Academy has 1,083 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sheffield Springs Academy cover?

Sheffield Springs Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Sheffield Springs Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.4, and 43% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Sheffield Springs Academy?

Sheffield Springs Academy is at Hurlfield Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S12 2SF.