Upton Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Upton Infant School Guest Road, Upton, Poole, Dorset BH16 5LQ

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Outcome

Upton Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel valued and included at Upton Infant School. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils to thrive and succeed. Staff and pupils build strong and supportive relationships. Pupils appreciate the care and help they get from adults. Parents praise the school’s academic provision and supportive ethos. One parent said that staff ‘genuinely care about every pupil and their families.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning. They like receiving rewards for hard work. Leaders expect pupils to become ‘brilliant learners’ who try their best at all times. Pupils typically rise to this challenge. Most pupils behave well in class and around the school. However, a small number of pupils become distracted in class. Staff do not always settle them back to work quickly enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They say staff listen to their concerns. Staff are quick to sort out any incidents of bullying should they occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders enrich the curriculum beyond academic subjects well. Pupils develop their interests through a range of trips and clubs. They enjoy opportunities to take on extra responsibilities such as playground buddies and school councillors. They make positive contributions to the wider community, for example by singing to residents in a local care home.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have developed a well-sequenced curriculum. The curriculum builds pupils’ knowledge well from the early years to Year 2. Teachers know what pupils need to learn and in what order. Most pupils achieve well because their knowledge has been carefully developed over time. In art, pupils use their understanding of colour and painting techniques well in their work. Pupils learn the important knowledge they need to solve mathematical problems. Children in the Reception classes get off to a strong start 17 and 18 January 2023

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with mathematics. They learn to count and explore the meaning of numbers. This prepares them well for learning addition and subtraction in Year 1.

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Leaders have developed effective processes to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. They work well with a range of external professionals. Leaders expect pupils with SEND to gain the same knowledge and experiences as their peers. They provide helpful training and guidance for staff. However, some teachers do not adapt learning well enough for some pupils with SEND. When this happens, these pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They present learning clearly and check pupils’ understanding of new content. Teachers plan interesting tasks to help pupils practise what they know. They check pupils’ learning well and address any misconceptions that pupils have. They adjust their teaching so that pupils learn what they need to know next.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Children learn phonics from the start of Reception. Most pupils quickly learn letters and the sounds they make. Staff are well trained to provide extra support for pupils who need to catch up. Pupils who have fallen behind go on to become fluent, confident readers. Pupils are keen readers. They appreciate receiving ‘book bugs’ for frequent reading. They enjoy listening to the books their teachers read to them. Children in the early years join in with stories and rhymes. This develops their language and their understanding of stories. Older pupils read well-chosen books to deepen their understanding of what they read.

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Pupils benefit from the school’s work to develop them personally. They understand what is expected of them and respect the school rules. Pupils have a clear understanding of equality. They learn to respect differences. They say that discrimination is never tolerated. Staff teach pupils about the importance of physical and mental health. Pupils learn about healthy relationships in an age-appropriate way. The school’s learning ‘critters’ remind them of important values such as resilience and teamwork.

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Governors provide strong support for the school. They ask school leaders challenging questions so that the school continues to improve. Leaders are mindful of staff well-being. Most staff feel that their workload is manageable. They feel valued and part of a team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure a strong culture of safeguarding. They are committed to working closely with families to provide guidance and support. Staff are well trained. They spot and report signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. Leaders follow up concerns swiftly with the appropriate agencies. Leaders carry out all required checks on adults who work with pupils.

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Safeguarding

Governors make careful checks on safeguarding arrangements. Leaders reflect on advice and training to improve their practice. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. They learn about water safety and how to keep safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s behaviour policy is not consistently applied by all staff. Staff do not always pick up quickly enough when pupils are off task or not following instructions. This leads to a small number of pupils not behaving well. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the highest expectations of pupils’ behaviour and that behaviour is managed consistently well at all times.  Teachers do not always adapt work sufficiently to meet the needs of some pupils with SEND. This results in some pupils not learning as well as they should. Leaders should provide staff with the support and guidance they need to make sure pupils with SEND are supported well to learn the curriculum.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Upton Infants’ School, to be good in June 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 17 and 18 January 2023

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Website https://www.uptoninf.dorset.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of alternative providers.  The school runs breakfast club provision on site.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to some pupils read to an adult.  The inspector met with school leaders, including the headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, curriculum leaders, teachers and support staff. 17 and 18 January 2023

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 The inspector reviewed documentation and spoke with leaders, staff and pupils to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding. The inspector reviewed attendance records and the school’s behaviour and bullying records.  The inspector met with a group of governors. They held a phone call with a trustee of Hamwic Education Trust and met with a trust leader.  The inspector considered responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. The inspector also took into account the responses to the pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Claire Mirams, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 January 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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