Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Kulvarn Atwal Headteacher Uphall Primary School Uphall Road Ilford Essex IG1 2JD

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of Uphall Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 24 November 2023, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous graded (section 5) inspections.

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of Uphall Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s overall effectiveness, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of Uphall Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders, governors and a representative of the local authority the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I met with curriculum leaders and staff with other leadership responsibilities, including oversight of early years and for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. I visited a sample of lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with groups of pupils and teachers from the lessons visited. I looked at safeguarding records, including the single central record of pre-employment checks, and met with leaders about pupils’ attendance. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to become good.

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Main findings

At the time of the previous inspection, there were inconsistencies in how well the curriculum beyond English and mathematics was designed and implemented. Since then, leaders have acted swiftly to ensure that the curriculum is well-designed and sequenced. This helps to ensure the knowledge and skills pupils need to secure build in a coherent way.

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Main findings

Leaders have provided a programme of professional development. Some of this has focused on ways in which staff can check what pupils have learned and remembered. This will help teachers to identify and correct any misconceptions pupils may have. You have rightly identified that maintaining a focus on developing teachers’ approaches to implementing the curriculum is essential to continuing to improve the quality of education. The provision for pupils with more complex needs is carefully considered. The ‘ACE’ resource provision is helping pupils to engage well with their learning.

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Main findings

Pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to learning are positive. The monitoring of attendance is rigorous. Leaders ensure pupils and their families are made aware of the impact poor attendance has on learning and educational outcomes.

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Main findings

Since the previous inspection, you have taken an intelligent and systematic approach to identifying and implementing the necessary actions to address the areas that needed improvement. You have been supported in this work by other leaders and by those responsible for governance. Governors, including the newly appointed chair of the governing body, check the progress being made towards the identified improvement priorities. They hold you and other leaders to account effectively. Staff have been very much a part of the improvement process; they feel their contributions are valued. You have ensured that their workload has remained manageable.

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Main findings

You have been working with a range of external partners, including the local authority, specialist advisors and local schools. These partners have made valuable and useful contributions to the school’s improvement work.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of governors, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Redbridge. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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