Upton Noble CofE VC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's vision 'Let your light shine' underpins the values at Upton Noble Primary School. Pupils have a strong understanding of the importance of honesty and friendship. Pupils are eager to succeed and achieve well.

They live up to the high ambitions the school has for them.

Adults have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Right from the start, the youngest children demonstrate this.

Pupils are respectful of one another and adults. Strong relationships with adults support pupils to feel safe. They know that adults will listen to them and help with any worries or concerns.

Parents and carers value the support the school provides to help pupils... to flourish.

Many pupils have responsibilities they are proud of. Being school council members, well-being ambassadors and digital leaders provides opportunities for pupils to make a positive contribution to their school community.

Older pupils embrace their responsibility to be a buddy to younger children. All of this supports pupils' character development.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

They talk enthusiastically about the range of clubs on offer, such as running, coding and drama club. Pupils enjoy the trips and visits, including to the local museum. These opportunities enrich pupils' learning and help them to nurture their talents and interests.

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum that helps pupils to learn well. It has set out what it wants pupils to learn and by when. Precise steps of knowledge support pupils to build on what they have learned before.

For example, children in early years swiftly grasp concepts such as subitising. This helps pupils in key stage 1 to secure their knowledge of number bonds, which older pupils build on to understand place value. However, in a few wider curriculum subjects, the school has not identified the key knowledge pupils need to learn.

In these subjects, pupils have gaps in what they know and remember.

From the moment children start in early years, they develop a love of reading. Children retell stories and spontaneously sing nursery rhymes.

Older pupils enjoy reading a range of texts by different authors. Books they read in class often support their learning. Children in Reception Year learn to read as soon as they begin school.

The strong emphasis on phonics helps them to get off to a great start. Adults support pupils to decode and blend words well. Teachers use their checks on pupils' phonics knowledge effectively to spot pupils at risk of falling behind.

These pupils receive the support they need to catch up. They read books that match the sounds they know. As a result, pupils develop confidence and fluency in their reading.

The school accurately identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are fully included in the life of the school. However, checks on how well some pupils with SEND progress through the curriculum lack precision.

Teachers do not routinely adapt the curriculum so these pupils build knowledge sequentially. This means that sometimes pupils with SEND have less secure knowledge than their peers in some areas of the curriculum.

Clear routines from the start of early years, along with a strong understanding of the school's values, help pupils to behave well.

Most pupils are keen to make a positive contribution in lessons and share their ideas. Attendance has improved. The school supports pupils and their families to attend school regularly.

Pupils know that tolerance and respect are important. They unanimously agree that 'everyone is welcome' at their school. Pupils learn about world faiths and cultures.

They speak enthusiastically about visitors from different countries. Pupils learn about festivals from different religions and explore how countries around the world celebrate harvest. Links with the local church provide opportunities to forge connections with the wider community.

The school plans a well-structured personal, social and health education curriculum. Pupils learn about how to stay safe, including when online. The school provides many opportunities for pupils to understand how to be safe in a range of different contexts.

These include road safety, bikeability, swimming and fire safety. Pupils understand the importance of staying physically and mentally well. They know that a balanced diet and regular exercise support this.

The governing body continues to improve the school with determination. Governors understand the school's strengths and areas to develop. Staff appreciate the support they receive to manage their workload.

They are proud to work at this school. There is a united vision to provide a high-quality education for all pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The key knowledge the school wants pupils to learn in some wider curriculum subjects is not precisely identified. This means that, in those few subjects, some pupils have gaps in what they know and remember. The school needs to ensure that in all subjects, pupils have access to an ambitious curriculum that helps them to build a rich body of knowledge and achieve highly.

• Checks on how well pupils with SEND progress through the curriculum lack precision. Some activities are not adapted to help pupils build knowledge well. The school needs to ensure that teachers use assessment information effectively to adapt the curriculum so that pupils with SEND achieve well across all subjects.