Springmead School provides a safe and happy learning environment where respect, patience, self-discipline, tolerance and a joy for learning are given high priority; at our school we have lots of fun without jeopardising academic success.
It is our job to help to shape our youngsters’ characters so that they become fulfilled learners with positive self-esteem and a passion for life and learning. At Springmead School we educate the whole child.
Small classes with a maximum of 18 children and specialist teachers ensures all of our children’s educational needs are met.
The needs of gifted and talented children are met in class and through enrichment clubs and activities. We are proud of the success of these children who regularly go onto achieve scholarships to Senior Schools.
Our scholarship programme enables us to develop gifted and talented children across different areas of school life; in turn these children contribute positively to the school. Scholarships are available for children in the prep department (7-11 years old) .
The importance of the role played by parents as educators of their children is recognised. Every endeavour is made to work closely with parents, informing and involving them in every aspect of their child’s education. Parents are fully informed of the academic and social progress of their child.
Parents are encouraged to contact the school at any time should they wish to do so, and appointments can always be made to see the Headteacher, or a member of staff. Parents will find us to be professional, friendly and unpretentious with a very real ‘open door’ policy.
Confident computer skills are essential in today’s world. Each classroom is equipment with an interactive whiteboard and laptops. A bank of iPads are available for classroom use. This enables computing skills to be imbedded within our curriculum. In addition we have a purpose built computer suite for formal, timetabled computing lessons.
Whilst each religious affiliation is recognised and respected, Springmead School is closely involved with the Church of England and has inherent Christian values. Children of other denominations and faiths are warmly welcomed and are very much part of our school community.
Positive behaviour management ensures good discipline throughout the school. Praise, clear feedback, rewards and rules rather than punishment help create a positive environment where children are encouraged to become increasingly responsible for their own conduct.
Their needs are met both in our small classes with a maximum of 18 children, through one- to-one time with specialist teachers and in small groups with teaching assistants.
Some children, from time to time, may experience particular difficulties and need additional support in their work. These children’s needs are met through the individual learning programmes designed and implemented by the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator.
We have four members of staff who have particular responsibility for children with additional learning needs.
The school has adopted GL tests as a formal external assessment tool.
Children from Year 1 to Year 6 sit age appropriate formal tests each year; these are correlated to SATS statistics so we can get a bench mark on our performance against nationally recognised grades. Whilst we do not believe in the practice of ‘teaching to tests’ we do believe that children should have test experience each year.
Tests are conducted in a non-threatening way with no notice to children or parents. In this way we can get a true benchmark of our performance. The school consistently achieves above the national average in all subjects. Assessment information is shared with parents at parent consultation evenings and on school reports.
To view our 2022/23 academic results please click here.
The beautiful library has been designed very much with this in mind; here the children will be only too pleased to tarry awhile, lost in fiction and non-fiction books in this wonderful space.
To support the acquisition of reading skills the school uses the Oxford Reading Tree reading scheme supported by many other schemes. Whilst ‘learning to read’ we aim to hear each child four times a week.
The very heart of the Springmead vision is to ignite in our children a passion for learning and life. This happens every day through exciting lessons delivered by knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff. Importantly, it also happens through the wide range of enrichment activities that they experience during each academic year. We ensure that these opportunities are explicitly taught using our learning objectives and the skills, knowledge and concepts are assessed accordingly. These activities are integral to our curriculum, guided by the National Curriculum for primary aged children.