Springwood Primary School, Cardiff

Springwood Primary School is an English-medium school in Wales. Welsh schools are inspected by Estyn rather than Ofsted, and its latest report is published on Estyn's website.

It had 275 pupils in the 2025/26 school census.

42% of pupils are eligible for free school meals (three-year average).

Of its pupils, 32% have additional learning needs; 19% are learning English as an additional language; and 44% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Year groups range from 23 pupils (Reception) to 47 (Year 3).

Its delegated budget for 2026-27 works out at £8,208 per pupil, against £7,596 in 2021-22. It carried forward £98k of reserves at the end of 2024-25.

Estyn's report on its June 2025 inspection summarises Springwood Primary School like this:

"Springwood is a school that serves a diverse community. Pupils from all backgrounds, including those from the special resource bases (SRBs), feel a strong sense of belonging. They are well supported by leaders and staff who prioritise pupils’ well-being in particular. Many pupils join the school with limited language and social skills, but most, including those with additional learning needs (ALN) and those eligible for free school meals, make good progress as they move through the school. Teachers place a clear emphasis on developing pupils’ speaking and communication skills, which strengthens their writing and use of vocabulary effectively. Most pupils become confident writers and many enjoy reading, developing secure phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Many pupils develop their numeracy skills well and they gain confidence in solving problems. The school’s inquiry-based curriculum reflects pupils’ cultures and promotes a sense of community. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to lead their own learning and develop independence."

"Teaching is effective in many lessons. Where it is strongest, pupils are engaged, understand learning intentions, and benefit from good support from additional adults. In less effective lessons, pace and challenge are limited and this affects pupils’ motivation and progress. There are daily opportunities for pupils to use Welsh. Pupils engage positively with the language during designated Welsh lessons, though incidental use of the language remains limited. Generally, pupils develop a basic range of digital skills. However, overall, they do not develop these skills as well as they could, or use digital technology frequently enough to support their learning. The school fosters empathy, and kindness. As a result, many pupils show positive attitudes to learning and engage well with the experiences provided, especially in younger classes."

"Staff and leaders develop strong relationships and inclusive practices. For example, all pupils and staff benefit from the purposeful integration of SRB pupils into mainstream activities. Staff identify and supports pupils with ALN well. They work closely with partners, the community and families to support most pupils effectively. Leaders have established suitable systems for safeguarding pupils, monitoring rates of attendance, and to support aspects of professional learning for staff. However, leaders do not currently prioritise improving the quality of teaching well enough to ensure consistently good practice across the school. Governors are reflective as a team, they support school improvement well, and help reduce the impact of disadvantage, supporting all pupils to access rich and meaningful learning experiences."

Estyn made 3 recommendations: (1) Ensure that leaders plan precisely and respond promptly to address inconsistencies in the quality of teaching; (2) Increase opportunities for pupils to take ownership of their learning; (3) Improve pupils’ digital skills.

The nearest other state primary schools to Springwood Primary School are St Phillip Evans R.C. Primary School (0.4 miles), All Saints C.I.W. Primary School (0.4 miles), Lakeside Primary School (0.5 miles) and Llanedeyrn Primary School (0.5 miles).

The nearest railway station is Heath High Level Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pensylvania (after), 90 metres away.