Springwater School, Starbeck, is celebrates Ofsted report

Springwater School has been rated 'good' overall with 'outstanding' features after an inspection, with the sixth form rated as 'outstanding'. 

The special school, is based in between Knaresborough and Harrogate, in Starbeck and teaches just under 100 pupils from across the county aged two - 19. 

It is a popular and oversubscribed school and was previously graded outstanding by Ofsted.

Springwater School in Starbeck is celebrating its Ofsted report (Image: UGC)

Head teacher, Sarah Edwards said: "The governors and I are delighted with the outcome of the two-day inspection which was rigorous and professionally challenging, as I am sure you would expect.

"From the early years to Year 11 - the main school - judgements for leadership and management, behaviour and attitudes, and the personal development of pupils were all outstanding.

"The inspection team identified that there are high expectations with highly personalised support. They commented on pupils being fully included and that staff work closely with pupils to help them find ways to share their feelings and ideas.

"Personal development was described as exceptionally strong and arrangements for safeguarding effective. Their comments on the curriculum were, that leaders have successfully worked alongside subject leaders to develop the curriculum and that the quality of education has improved.  The separate judgement for sixth form was also outstanding and provision in the sixth form was described as excellent.

"I am so pleased that they captured what we as a team already identified as the strengths of the school and its’ pupils. I thought those pupils who were at school on these days were a credit to both their staff and parents, and I observed that they loved the opportunity to show off their work, to talk about their development or to demonstrate things within the classrooms. The inspector commented on how meeting them and being part of school life for two days had been an important and inspirational opportunity for her.

"There is one judgement which is ‘good’ and this is the quality of education. We have, since our last inspection (December 2019) and during the whole of the school closure periods during the pandemic, worked tirelessly on developing and implementing a suitable curriculum designed to meet the very diverse needs of all of our learners and for this reason I am delighted that the hard work to develop and embed this new curriculum has been recognised. The inspector identified that, “the curriculum enables pupils with diverse needs to gain knowledge and skills across broad areas of learning” and that “the quality of education has improved”.  

"We will continue to work on the key aspects which will develop the curriculum still further."

When it came to areas where the school could improve inspectors said senior leaders and curriculum leaders "should work together to improve assessment methods so that they enable teachers to clearly identify what pupils can and cannot do" and that "senior leaders and subject leaders should refine the curriculum for pupils so that it includes carefully chosen subject-specific content".

Click here to read the full report.