Ugborough Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ugborough Primary School Ugborough, Ivybridge, Devon PL21 0NJ

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Outcome

Ugborough Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Ugborough Primary School are vibrant and enthusiastic. They talk about their school and learning with pride. Pupils say that one of the best things about the school is the staff. Strong and nurturing relationships between pupils and staff underpin the school culture and ethos. Pupils strive to meet the high expectations staff have of them. This makes the school a motivational, yet calm, place to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to enrich and extend their learning in the classroom. They value the experiences they have on residential trips, visits to support curriculum learning and the wide range of extra-curricular clubs. Pupils talk with joy about opportunities for singing and performing arts, including the current leavers’ production of ‘Treasure Island’. The school council has an active role in the school. For example, they have managed to fundraise to improve the equipment used at playtimes. These experiences strengthen pupils’ learning about respect for others, resilience and self- awareness. Pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers praise the school for the community feel. They have high regard for the pastoral and academic provision from the whole staff team.

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

Leaders provide an ambitious curriculum for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children in Reception get the best possible start. Teaching in Reception supports children’s physical development, language and communication, and early mathematics skills well. Staff carefully consider opportunities for learning. Their interactions with children have a positive impact on their development. This prepares them well for key stage 1 and beyond. Staff build on children’s use of language and vocabulary, which continues through to the rest of the school and links with the focus on oracy. 18 July 2023

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Subject leaders are knowledgeable about the subjects they are responsible for. They monitor their subject areas well. Leaders are responsive to staff training requirements. As a result, teachers have secure subject knowledge. Leaders’ impact on the curriculum is well embedded in core subject areas, such as English and mathematics.

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Pupils learn a full range of subjects. There is a strong focus on vocabulary development. This is evident in how pupils articulate what they have learned previously. However, the wider curriculum is in development. There is not a fully established whole-school approach to how pupils learn and how teachers check this learning is secure. This results in some pupils not learning as well as they could. Leaders are taking steps to address this.

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There is a whole-school culture of prioritising reading. The teaching of early reading is effective. Leaders ensure that staff are trained so that they know how to teach phonics well. Children learn phonics right from the start. When pupils fall behind, leaders make sure they get the support they need to keep up. Pupils enjoy reading. Older pupils talk confidently about authors and genres they like to read. Staff read to pupils regularly and pupils have access to a wide variety of texts. This includes texts that promote diversity. Many parents comment on the success of their children learning to read. It is well supported by the local community through events such as the village book club links and secondhand book fairs.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. They know the barriers to learning that pupils face. They use this information to design precise targets with clear support and provision. Teachers know how to adapt learning successfully. Leaders have made some recent decisions about the provision for SEND to strengthen it further, for example extending the leadership role and establishing an online tool to support target-setting and review.

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Leaders support pupils’ wider development well. There are effective links with local schools and the wider trust. This supports pupils in preparation for secondary school. Pupils develop a secure awareness of the world around them. Staff address local and wider issues. Pupils can confidently talk about and show respect for different religions and different types of families. They learn about maintaining a healthy lifestyle beyond the food they eat. They know how physical activity and mental health is important in this.

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Those responsible for governance know the school well. They provide an appropriate level of support and challenge so that the school can continue to improve yet retain its identity and place in the local community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff know pupils and their families well. Leaders work with external agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get the help they need at the earliest opportunity. Leaders provide regular and relevant safeguarding training for staff. This ensures that they can spot any cause for concern quickly. Procedures for recording and reporting concerns are robust. 18 July 2023

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Leaders make the right safeguarding checks during recruitment. They maintain an accurate log of these checks on the single central record.

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Pupils feel safe. They talk with confidence about how they learn how to keep themselves safe, for example when online and accessing the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Subjects in the wider curriculum are not as well developed as core subject areas. Leaders have started to strengthen the curriculum in some subjects. Despite this, pupils do not learn as well as they could because there is not a fully established, whole-school approach to the curriculum and how it is assessed. Leaders need to continue the development of the wider curriculum, so it aligns more closely with the strong provision for pupils’ learning in core subjects.

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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, Ugborough Primary School, to be good in July 2013.

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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.

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Further information

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. 18 July 2023

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School details

Website www.ugborough-primary.devon.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Ugborough Primary School converted to become an academy school in January 2022. When its predecessor school, Ugborough Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Ugborough Primary School is part of Westcountry Schools Trust.  Leaders do not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, school staff and subject leaders from the trust. In addition, an inspector met with the chair of trustees, link trustee for the hub advisory board and the school improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their 18 July 2023

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors were not able to visit any geography lessons.  An inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  Inspectors analysed school documentation, including leaders’ evaluations and plans for improvement. The inspector scrutinised a range of policies and procedures, including those that relate to the curriculum, SEND, safeguarding and behaviour.  An inspector listened to the views of parents at the start of the inspection. Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Shirley Ofsted Inspector 18 July 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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