Umberleigh Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

This is a good school. Parents and carers are very happy with the provision.

Typical of the comments received were, 'Staff are always helpful and go the extra mile for the children… the children are happy and enjoy the fun and exciting activities provided.' Children get off to an excellent start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are taught very well and make very good progress.

As a result of good teaching across the school, pupils achieve well and attain above average levels by the end of Year 6. Their attainment in writing, while above average, is not as good as in reading and mathematics. Staff have good relationships with all pupils and use these well to support and encourage them... to become confident and enthusiastic learners.

Teachers provide interesting lessons based on a well-planned curriculum. In particular, the outdoor work carried out in the forest area adjacent to the school is an excellent feature of the school's provision, which enables the pupils to gain a good range of practical skills. Teachers enliven pupils' work well through the provision of a good range of visits such as the recent trips to a number of Devon castles.

The good links established with other local schools through, for example, video conferencing also serve to boost learning opportunities for the pupils. As part of the drive to sustain the Healthy School Plus and Activemark accreditations, pupils are involved in a good range of sports and health promoting activities. As a result, they have an excellent understanding about how to stay very healthy and fit.

Through the good work of the school council, their charity fundraising and involvement in local village events, pupils learn to make a good level of contribution to the immediate and wider community. Most aspects of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are strong. However, while some work is carried out to give pupils an awareness of people from cultural backgrounds which may differ from their own, this area is not yet fully developed.

Good provision for care, guidance and support ensures that all pupils feel safe, enjoy their time at school and maintain an extremely high level of attendance. Pupils are fully confident in seeking help should they need it. Those spoken to were full of accolades for the work of the staff.

Typical of the comments made were: 'Staff are always helpful and kind… they always try and make the work interesting and fun.' Pupils behave well and show a good level of moral and social awareness. The strong support provided for pupils with social and emotional difficulties ensures the individuals concerned progress well.

The headteacher does an outstanding job of leading the school. Over the three years she has been in post, she has worked hard with the staff and governors to improve the school buildings and environment, revitalise the curriculum and involve staff in a wide range of training to ensure their skills are constantly improved. As a result, teaching and pupils' achievement have improved since the school's last inspection.

Good communication ensures that parents and carers are fully involved in supporting their children's learning. The strong links with partner organisations and schools within the local learning community are used well to boost pupils' learning and to enable teachers to compare and refine their practice through liaison with colleagues. The governing body monitors the work of the school closely and has a clear overview of the effectiveness of all aspects of provision.

It does a good job of supporting the headteacher and staff as well as holding them to account. The school's accurate self-evaluation, good progress made since the last inspection, strong teamwork established amongst staff and clear plans to guide future improvement mean there is a good capacity to sustain the current good pace of improvement.

Information about the school

This is a small school.

It serves the local area, but with some pupils coming from further afield. The overall proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average, as is the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. Most of the pupils are White British, with a few coming from a mixture of other ethnic backgrounds.

The school has two classes. Children starting school in the Early Years Foundation Stage work within a class alongside pupils in Years 1 and 2. The school is accredited with the Healthy School Plus Award and the Activemark.