School promises improvement after Ofsted criticises poor behaviour
A DERBYSHIRE school has been criticised by Ofsted for the poor behaviour of some of its students.
Springfield Junior School in Swadlincote has been rated as “requires improvement” overall following an inspection by the watchdog.
In a recently published report, inspectors said some of the school’s 206 pupils showed a “lack of respect” for their classmates and staff members.
It also criticised leaders at the school for not identifying crucial knowledge and said it needed to improve in the areas of quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management.
It was rated good in the area of personal development.
The report said: “The majority of pupils behave well. But, too often, some pupils’ behaviour is not good enough. They carry on talking when adults or their friends are talking, not listening to what is being said by others.
“Some pupils do not follow instructions given to them by adults straight away.
“Not all staff have the same high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Some pupils do not behave well and, sometimes, this interrupts lessons. “Leaders must implement the new behaviour policy consistently, ensuring that all staff have the same high expectations of pupils’ behaviour.”
The head teacher at Springfield, Sue Hughes, said that the school would be addressing the concerns.
In a letter sent to parents and staff, Ms Hughes said: “The report highlights several things of which we are extremely proud including strong teaching and learning in maths; clear daily routines; an inclusive ethos; high expectations for pupils with special educational needs; strong pedagogy in our enhanced resource unit.
“Inspectors stated that the support and provision for pupils with challenging behaviours is good; although in some classrooms there is what was described as ‘low level interruption’ with some children shouting out or failing to follow instructions straight away which impacts on the flow of a lesson.
“This is not the case across the whole school and our revised ‘Relationships and Behaviour’ procedures will help to ensure consistency in expectations across the school.
“As always, we will take on board the advice and guidance provided and do everything we can to ensure our pupils enjoy a safe and successful four years at Springfield and leave our school fully prepared for their next steps.”