Springfield Primary School
Application Pack
for the post of
Headteacher
Springfield Primary School
Dudley Road
Rowley Regis
West Midlands
B65 8JY
Telephone: 0121 559 1333
Website: www.springfield.sandwell.sch.uk
February 2017
Dear Applicant
Thank you for responding to our advertisement for a new Headteacher.
Due to the retirement in July 2017 of our current Headteacher, we are seeking to
recruit someone for September who will not only be able to continue the good work
that is already on-going, but also someone who will bring commitment, strong
leadership and ambition to successfully move the school forward from its current
context.
We are a supportive, participative, Governing Board who care passionately about the
school, and the quality of the educational experiences that it provides for its pupils.
Consequently, we are looking for a like-minded Headteacher who is inspirational and
personable, but also someone with the vision and drive to set and achieve high
standards. We also need them to demonstrate high quality leadership skills, because
it is important to us that the leadership of the school can make robust and difficult
decisions, yet at the same time, also values the staff, consults them, and has sufficient
trust in them to allow them to make decisions at their own level.
We pride ourselves on being a cohesive whole school community which has high
expectations of all of our children. They are central to everything that we do. They are
all valued as individuals and encouraged and supported to achieve their full potential.
As a result, the children, staff, and governors, thrive on challenge and responsibility
and we need a Headteacher who is able to recognise, utilise, and enjoy developing,
the talents of such a strong school community.
The job description / personal specification attached, outlines the characteristics we
are seeking our new Headteacher to demonstrate. However, we hope that they will
also bring something individual to the school and its community that will help the
school to successfully move forward into the future.
We would encourage you to visit the school before submitting your application; you
will receive a warm welcome and have the opportunity to meet pupils, staff and
governors.
In the first instance, please contact the school’s Office Manager, Mrs Suzanne Ross,
on 0121 559 1333, as soon as possible to arrange a convenient time to visit the
school, so that we can try to make sure that you meet as wide a cross section of the
school community as possible. Visits may be made at any pre-arranged time from
Thursday 2nd March to Monday 6th March 2017 inclusive.
Yours faithfully
Jim Williams
Ian Fleming
Co-Chairs of the Governing Board
Springfield Primary School
Springfield Primary School
The School Profile
The Site:
Springfield Primary School was originally spread over two separate schools, and their
sites, situated about a hundred yards apart. The upper school (KS2) was based in the
original Victorian building in Doulton Road, and the lower school (KS1) was based in
the newer Knowle Special School site in Dudley Road, Rowley Regis, which was built
in the 1960’s.
In 2007, when the Victorian building had become difficult and expensive to maintain,
and no longer fit for purpose, the school was brought onto one site by extensively
modernising, extending and refurbishing the Knowle School building. The Doulton
Road building has since been demolished by the local authority and the land sold to a
private developer for housing development.
The school is on a hillside site which, in good weather, provides extensive views from
the Clent and Malvern Hills, across to the distant Black Mountains on the Welsh
borders.
The School Vision Statement:
“Our vision at Springfield is to lay a firm foundation for success in our pupil's lives by
creating a happy, caring environment which will enable them to develop their full
potential through quality teaching, learning, and high expectations, and by creating an
ethos of respect and mutual support for all within the school and neighbouring
community”.
The School Population:
The school is a larger than the national average primary school with a total of 466
pupils currently on roll during the 2016-17 academic year. The school population is
of predominantly white British heritage with the proportion of pupils from minority
ethnic groups being below average.
The proportion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) is above the national
average, and the school has a Focus Provision unit, highly regarded within
Sandwell, for supporting up to eight pupils with complex communication problems.
The school is a two form entry school supported by its own on-site Nursery unit.
The school has a small Breakfast Club and after-school Wrap Around provision. It
runs a number of successful after school activities, including the ‘Dynamite
Dancers’ dance group which has won acclaim in both local and national events.
Current Staffing Compliment:
 Senior Management Team:
Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, 2 Assistant Headteachers
 Teaching staff: 17.8 FTE’s (20 individual teachers)
 Learning Support staff:
20 LSP3’s (including 4 HLTA qualified staff) and 11 LSA2’s - on varying
hours, supporting class groups and individual children.
In addition, there are 22 lunchtime meals supervisors (including some staff
employed in other roles at other times), who cover both class groups and
children with individual needs. There are11site and administration staff.
Current Nominal Roll:
Pupil
Group:
Pupil
Numbers:
Nursery
Vacant
Places:
Boys:
Girls:
60
26
34
0
Reception
59
29
30
1
Year 1
60
30
30
0
Year 2
59
33
26
1
Year 3
60
34
26
0
Year 4
61
32
29
0
Year 5
49
22
27
11
Year 6
58
28
30
2
The Current Performance of the School
You are strongly advised to read the:
 school’s last Ofsted Inspection Report (July 2016) when completing your
application. This inspection graded the school as ‘good’ overall.
 current Ofsted / FFT Data Dashboards, and other published sources of
data for the school, so that you can make your own interpretation of the
information that they show.
Summary of Overall Performance:
Children enter the school with below, or well below average ability, especially
in language and communication, and as a consequence, are just below
national at the end of KS1, despite having made very good progress during it.
However, by the end of KS2, they are above national, and are transition ready
for the High Schools of their choice. Progress across the school is good for all
pupil groups. The majority of teaching is judged to be ‘good’ with some
‘outstanding’.
In 2014-15, the school finished 28th in the league table of Sandwell primary
schools.
Attendance:
The attendance of pupils in the school has historically been very variable,
being usually below the national average. However, this has improved steadily
over the past academic year. 2016 data shows overall attendance at 96.1%
(spring), and 95.7% (summer), against both the national and LA target figures
of 96.00%. Autumn 2016 was a little lower than the previous terms (94.7% to
mid-November) due to illness and unauthorised absence across a wide range
of cohorts across the school.
Some recent comments by Ofsted:
“The headteacher has established a culture where all members of the school
are valued and where good standards of behaviour are expected and
achieved. She involves pupils in the decision making processes within the
school and encourages them to have high aspirations for their future lives.”
“The school curriculum is broad and balanced, and planned in such a way that
it has a very positive impact on pupils’ personal development.”
“The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal welfare and development is
outstanding.”
“Pupils are provided with exceptionally good opportunities to take
responsibility for helping Springfield Primary School to develop, improve, and
be a place where pupils are at the heart of everything that the school does.”
“Children enter school with skills and knowledge that are below, and often well
below, those that are typical for their age. They settle quickly into Nursery and
as a result of good teaching and a clear understanding of their particular
needs, they make strong progress.”
“The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The strong emphasis that is
placed on protecting pupils from harm and ensuring that they feel safe
permeates all aspects of the school’s work.”
“Pupils now make good progress from their starting points. In 2015, the
proportion of Year 6 pupils who made expected progress was above the
national average in reading, writing and mathematics, with all pupils making
expected progress in mathematics.”
“Governors are an extremely effective force within the leadership and
management of the school. They provide high levels of challenge and support
to school leaders”.
The Financial Stability of the School:
In common with very many other schools, Springfield Primary finds itself in a
financial climate where external funding is relatively static but on-going costs,
such as the recent substantial increases in staff national insurance and
pension contributions, are rising. The school has a balanced budget for 201617 but it was predicted to be in deficit by 2018-19 unless swift action was
taken to address the problem.
In response to this, the Governing Board has identified and agreed a broad
programme of cost cutting measures to be implemented during the 2016-17
financial year in order to ensure that the budget can be kept under control.
The Rowley Learning Trust (RLT):
The Rowley Learning Trust is a co-operative trust, formed in 2012, comprising
five neighbouring schools within Rowley Regis. These are: Springfield,
Brickhouse, Old Hill, Temple Meadow, and Rowley Hall Primary Schools. The
Trust is administered by a Board of Trustees consisting of representatives
from the member schools (including the Headteachers), and other
representatives from a number of partner organisations such as Sandwell
College.
The general aim of the Trust is to provide a formal framework for schools to
collaborate to share good practice and expertise, organise joint events and
educational activities, and to work towards reducing costs through the
combined procurement of resources.
We can offer the successful candidate:
 The opportunity to further develop their leadership and management skills
by leading a larger than average school on its journey towards an even
more successful future.
 Access to personal development and training opportunities appropriate to
their job role and career aspirations.
 The opportunity to make a personal impact on the quality of the
educational experiences of our pupils, and as a consequence of that, the
standards of their teaching and learning.
 Well behaved, respectful, confident, and hard-working pupils who are
enthusiastic learners.
 A team of caring, dedicated, and motivated staff.
 A supportive and active Governing Board who work well with the school’s
senior management team, and who care passionately about the school.
 A school with a good working relationship with the vast majority of parents /
carers who actively support the learning of their children.
 A friendly working environment where everyone feels part of the team.
Further Information:
For further information on the school, its events, activities, and educational
performance, please consult the school website at:
www.springfield.sandwell.sch.uk