Springwell Community College

Springwell Community College has undergone significant improvement since its previous inspection and is now judged good across all four key areas. Pupils understand the school's values, behaviour is calm and orderly, bullying is rare, and pupils generally feel happy and safe. Leaders have redesigned and strengthened the curriculum, teachers are well trained, and pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Reading support, personal development, careers education and trust-led professional development are notable strengths, and safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• A strengthened curriculum across all subjects is improving pupils' learning.
• Pupils understand and demonstrate the school values of ambition, commitment and kindness.
• Behaviour is consistently managed and the school is calm and orderly.
• Pupils are polite, respectful and feel safe; bullying appears rare.
• Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and access the same curriculum as their peers.
• Reading support is quickly provided and helps pupils become more confident readers.
• The personal development programme promotes diversity, safety and health.
• Careers education and guidance are effective, including careers fairs for pupils and parents.
• Leaders are considerate of staff well-being and workload.
• The school and trust share a clear vision and provide effective professional development.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not consistently used well enough to check pupils' knowledge and close gaps.
• Some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.
• Too many pupils, particularly those with SEND, have high levels of absence.
• Published Year 11 outcomes lag behind the improvements in curriculum quality.
• Suspensions have been higher than the national average, although they are now reducing.

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 Springwell Community College attended 90.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.6% 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, 12.6% of pupils at Springwell Community College were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Springwell Community College had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.6% 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, 9.1% of pupils at Springwell Community College were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% 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 Springwell Community College received £9,343 and spent £9,149 for each of its 885 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £295,000 (£333 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of The Two Counties Trust, income was £8,024 and spending £7,827 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 Chesterfield · Derbyshire local authority: places and applications

Springwell Community College is part of The Two Counties Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Heritage High School Chesterfield
• The Manor Academy Mansfield
• Ashfield Comprehensive School Nottingham
• Frederick Gent School Alfreton
• Swanwick Hall School Alfreton
• Selston High School Nottingham
• Allestree Woodlands School Derby
• Friesland School Sandiacre
• Wilsthorpe School Nottingham

What is Springwell Community College's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Springwell Community College is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Springwell Community College last inspected by Ofsted?

Springwell Community College was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Springwell Community College have?

Springwell Community College has 836 pupils on roll.

What age range does Springwell Community College cover?

Springwell Community College for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Springwell Community College's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 38.0, and 36% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Springwell Community College?

Springwell Community College is at Middlecroft Road, Staveley, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 3NQ.