Excellent in all Aspects – Spring Grove School
06 Apr 2023
We are delighted and proud to announce that Spring Grove School and Nursery have been rated ‘Excellent’ in all aspects by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. The Educational Quality with Focused Compliance (EQI) inspection took place in February 2023, the first full inspection of the school since 2015 (smaller compliance inspections take place more frequently).
The full EQI report is available to read on the school website. The inspectors found that the quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements, and the pupils’ personal development are all excellent. In the parent survey 100% of parents agreed that the school’s teaching (including any online provision) enables their child to make progress, and 100% also agreed that the school helps all children to be confident and independent.
Key findings of the inspection included:
- Pupils show high levels of achievement in relation to their abilities and make strong progress across all ages.
- Pupils listen and respond to their peers; they are articulate and self-assured when expressing their views and ideas from a young age.
- Pupils display strong self-awareness, self-confidence and resilience from an early age.
- Pupils are considerate, caring and courteous of each other and all members of the school community.
The excellent overall attainment and progress of the children was partly attributed to the school leaders’ regular monitoring ‘using a rigorous individual tracking process which highlights areas of strength and weakness and identifies next steps in learning for all pupils.’ In the classrooms, the inspectors noted the pupils’ ‘wide range of knowledge, skills and understanding across the curriculum’, and commented on the ‘confident, creative learners’ in the Nursery and Reception classes. They commented that children at Spring Grove are encouraged to speak, and to listen, becoming ‘confident and articulate speakers who communicate with enthusiasm, clarity and expression and display great enjoyment in class discussion’.
Outside the classroom, all children at Spring Grove are encouraged to have a go – and the breadth of opportunity across sport, drama, dance, music etc. was apparent. The inspectors noted that ‘A particular strength of the school is pupils’ exuberance and naturally appreciative approach to both curricular and co-curricular activities.’ The children were seen to be actively living out the school values of curiosity and confidence, with ‘ awareness that success comes through collaboration and supporting one another, very much reflecting the school’s objective to cultivate an appetite for adventure and a tolerance for error…’
The strength of the pupils’ personal development was noted from Nursery through to the oldest children in Prep 6, together with high expectations of behaviour set by all staff. Forest School was cited by pupils as a place where they could reflect and spend time with nature. Overall the inspectors commented that ’The school’s value of consideration and care, permeates all areas of the community.’
Everyone at Spring Grove was delighted by the inspectors’ findings, which reflect the hard work and the dedication of every member of staff towards the pupils in their care. The school prides itself on its ‘family’ atmosphere, which was clearly picked up by the inspectors in the final comment of their report: ‘Both staff and pupils nurture and care for each other and show kindness and friendship in abundance: the ethos that underpins the very nature of this school.’