The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your strong, calm leadership has enabled the school to improve considerably over recent years. You evaluate the school’s effectiveness accurately, and use this information to prioritise appropriate actions to improve outcomes for pupils. Consequently, improvement has been sustained since you took up post in 2014. You have nurtured an effective teaching team who share your ambition to provide the highest quality teaching and learning for all pupils. Senior leaders and subject coordinators lead their areas of responsibility well and relish the training opportunities you provide them. They value highly your effective leadership and direction. As one stated: ‘I feel trusted, supported, challenged and motivated to do the best for the children, myself and the school as a whole.’ Pupils enjoy the wide range of clubs and educational visits that enrich their learning at Uplands Primary School. Many commented that the extra sports and creative sessions ‘are amazing fun’. They also value the residential trips they undertake and say, ‘they help us to be more responsible, and be really active and healthy’. The vast majority stated in the pupil questionnaire that the school encourages them to look after their physical health and to be more independent. Parents are supportive of the school. A small minority commented that they would appreciate even more information throughout the year about the progress their children are making. Some also said that communication between school and home could be a little better. However, most would recommend Uplands Primary School to other parents. One comment, typical of many, stated, ‘I’m so pleased with the school. There’s a really friendly, community feel, and teachers care for the children really well.’ Leaders have addressed successfully the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Pupils develop a keen awareness of cultures other than their own. For example, pupils were able to explain accurately why some of their peers were fasting during the religious festival of Ramadan. Leaders have also ensured that pupils know what they are expected to achieve in lessons. Teaching now incorporates effective steps for learning to ensure that pupils make good progress from their starting points. Teaching is good throughout the school. However, the oral and written feedback provided to pupils about how to improve their work is not implemented consistently in line with the school’s policy. Similarly, teachers’ expectations for how pupils should respond to feedback are not consistent throughout the school. As a result, some pupils do not make sustained and rapid progress. You are aware of this, and are prioritising improvements appropriately. Similarly, you are rightly enhancing the school’s already effective curriculum. Subject coordinators’ contribution to this work is good, and you are in the early stages of methodical work to address improvements across other subjects within the wider curriculum. Current pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are making consistently good progress in a range of subjects including English and mathematics. Some, including the most able pupils and the most able disadvantaged pupils, are making rapid progress and achieving high standards in national assessments in English and mathematics in Year 2 and Year 6. Most pupils achieve a good level of development in the early years, and then secure the expected standard in the phonics screening check in Year 1. Safeguarding is effective. You ensure that a strong safeguarding culture is evident throughout the school. For example, when recruiting new staff, all necessary employment checks are made, and recorded accurately on the school’s single central record. You are equally thorough when employing temporary staff, contractors and volunteers. Your determination and rigorous actions help to ensure that children are safe. You take appropriate steps to ensure that staff are well trained in a range of child protection matters. For instance, recent training has developed staff members’ knowledge of what to do if they suspect a child is a victim of, or at risk of, female genital mutilation. Consequently, staff know what actions to take to protect children from harm. Pupils develop an effective ability to help keep themselves safe. They talk with confidence about how to stay safe when accessing the internet. Pupils across the school know not to share personal information online. They are aware that it is important to tell an adult if they see anything on a website or social media that makes them feel nervous or scared. Inspection findings During the inspection, we focused on how leaders ensure that lower-attaining pupils are supported to achieve well. We also scrutinised leaders’ work in developing pupils’ understanding of equalities, and preparing them well for life in modern Britain. Lastly, we evaluated leaders’ work in developing a broad and balanced wider curriculum. You ensure that teaching is planned effectively for lower-attaining pupils. Teachers address these pupils’ needs well and ensure that work is pitched appropriately to ensure that they make good progress. Importantly, expectations are high for lower-attaining pupils. They receive a good level of tailored support in the classroom that is helping them to catch up quickly from their starting points. The support from teaching assistants ensures that lower-attaining pupils learn well. Teaching assistants are skilled at helping this group of pupils, and they balance effectively appropriate challenge and support. Rightly, they ensure that lower-attaining pupils are developing a sound ability to complete work successfully, and independently. You provide high-quality support to vulnerable pupils. Leaders’ careful analysis of pupils’ individual needs enables you to provide additional care that supports their emotional and well-being needs. Staff are naturally nurturing, trained well, and are highly effective in supporting pupils’ emotional needs, when necessary. You are very successful in developing pupils’ tolerance of and respect for others. Pupils demonstrate a strong sense of right and wrong. For instance, they know that discriminating against people for the colour of their skin, religion or sexuality is wrong. As one pupil commented: ‘Everyone has the same rights. It’s important we respect everyone for who they are.’ Pupils are developing a sound understanding of British values. For instance, they know that voting for their school council representatives is an example of democracy in school. You are rightly working to strengthen pupils’ knowledge of these values, and why they are important. However, the careful work you have already completed ensures that pupils are equipped well for life in modern Britain. Your subject coordinators are developing the good curriculum to make it even better. For example, your highly skilled science curriculum leader has improved significantly how this subject is taught throughout the school. Coordinators are working together effectively to apply the same rigour to other subjects. This is a work in progress, and leaders are committed to ensuring that the wider curriculum inspires pupils to achieve equally highly across a range of subjects. You enrich the wider curriculum with a range of additional clubs and activities that engage pupils’ creativity well. For example, pupils enthused about the opportunities that they have to sing in the choir, perform for parents, and learn different musical instruments. Music and arts enjoy a high priority, and effective leadership from your curriculum coordinator ensures that pupils develop strong artistic abilities. Teaching does not yet provide pupils with consistently effective written and oral feedback. Where feedback is effective, sometimes pupils are not given enough time or opportunity to respond to it well. You are aware of this, and are rightly developing a whole-school policy to improve feedback to ensure that it enables pupils to reflect upon and improve their learning effectively. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: in line with the school’s policy, teaching provides consistent and effective feedback to enable pupils to successfully improve their work the wider curriculum inspires pupils to learn so that they make substantial progress across a wide range of subjects. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Hampshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Dom Cook Her Majesty’s Inspector Information about the inspection Together with you, I observed learning across the whole school. I spoke to pupils and examined work in their exercise books. Meetings were held with senior leaders, including the headteacher and the two assistant headteachers, and with three curriculum coordinators. I met with four governors, including the chair and vicechair of the governing body. I took into account 110 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and three letters handed in to school from parents. I also analysed 93 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey, and 21 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. A range of documents was reviewed, including: the school’s development plan; leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness; the school’s single central record of recruitment checks made on staff; information about pupils’ achievement; records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance; and minutes of governing body meetings.