Upton Cross Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Upton Cross Primary School Churston Avenue & Kirton Road, Plaistow, London E13 0RJ

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Outcome

Upton Cross Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Charlotte Moore. This school is part of the Learning in Harmony Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Gary Wilkie, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ben Spinks.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this welcoming school. Each morning staff help pupils to settle quickly into their routines. Staff are caring and supportive and pupils know there are adults they can speak to about their worries. Pupils at both sites rightly say that children are kind to each other and it is easy to make friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent. Pupils are motivated learners and are keen to talk about what they know. Pupils enjoy taking on useful roles of responsibility, including canteen monitor and well-being champion.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is developing an ambitious curriculum. Typically, pupils achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils benefit from many enriching activities, including trumpet and trombone lessons, glow in the dark dodgeball and a Year 6 residential. Some older pupils visit universities where they develop their aspirations by finding out about university life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to keep themselves fit and healthy, including taking care of their mental health. They have a good understanding of the risks they face in the community and how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn how to be good citizens, including how to raise money for charities. 1 and 2 April 2025

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

Since the last inspection, the number of pupils attending the school has reduced significantly. The school has managed the planned changes to the organisation of the two sites well. It has ensured that the reorganisation does not impact on the quality of education that pupils receive. However, some parents and carers are not as clear about the impact of these changes on their children’s education.

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

The school has ambitious aims for pupils’ learning, including pupils with SEND. Staff are quick to identify the specific needs of pupils with SEND and ensure they get the right support. Some pupils with SEND follow an individual curriculum tailored to their needs. They make good progress from their different starting points.

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

The school has made refinements to its curriculum in most subjects. The school has rightly prioritised English and mathematics to ensure pupils secure strong foundations in reading and number. Staff value the opportunities for professional development, including across the trust. Some of the curriculum changes are still in the early stages of being developed. As a result, it is too soon to determine whether these initiatives are having the impact intended.

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

Teachers present new information clearly because they know what the important knowledge is that pupils must learn. Teachers are skilful in making learning engaging. This helps pupils to be motivated in their learning. In some subjects, pupils’ knowledge is very strong. For example, in Spanish, pupils secure knowledge of key nouns and verbs quickly. This helps them to form sentences and hold basic conversations with their peers.

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

The school promotes a love of reading. In lessons, pupils read regularly and widely. Class novels have been chosen carefully to ignite pupils’ curiosity and imagination. The school has taken effective action to ensure greater consistency in how phonics is taught. This is because phonics outcomes were significantly below the national average in 2024. Well- trained staff deliver the programme systematically. They check for any gaps in pupils’ knowledge regularly. The support in place to help close these gaps is effective. However, some pupils would benefit from more opportunities to practise reading books which match the sounds they are learning. When this is not in place, the progress of some pupils to becoming confident and fluent readers is slowed.

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

Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. From the Nursery upwards, children follow clear routines and help their peers to do so. With support, younger children develop the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time. This helps prepare them for the next stage in their education.

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

There is a comprehensive and well-planned curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils learn detailed knowledge about how to take care of their mental and physical health. They learn about how to make informed choices that will help keep them safe, including online. This prepares them very well for greater independence at secondary school. There is a broad range of enriching clubs available. The school has ensured these are accessible to all families. 1 and 2 April 2025

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The school works effectively with parents and the local authority to support pupils to attend regularly. The school helps pupils and their families to understand the impact of missed education. Where needed, the school provides additional support to families to help improve attendance. Consequently, the attendance of pupils is improving.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils in the early stages of reading do not get enough planned opportunities to rehearse what they have learned. This hinders pupils from securing their phonics knowledge and developing their reading fluency. The school should ensure that pupils in the early stages of learning to read have regular opportunities to practise reading aloud so they develop their confidence and fluency.  The school has introduced a range of ambitious initiatives to support pupils with English and mathematics. As these initiatives are still in the early stages of implementation, the school does not have a detailed understanding of what is working well and what is not. The school and trust should carefully evaluate the impact of its school improvement strategies as these continue to embed to make sure they are having the impact the school intends.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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. 1 and 2 April 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2020.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates across two sites. There have been recent changes to the organisation of pupils across the two sites.  The number of pupils on roll has fallen significantly in the last year.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with senior leaders, the CEO, the chair of governors, a representative from the local authority, teachers and support staff. 1 and 2 April 2025

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 The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors spoke to some parents and considered the responses to the Ofsted online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also reviewed the responses to the Ofsted staff online survey and the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Polly Haste, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tom Hart Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 April 2025

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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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