Upshire Primary Foundation School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 March 2025

Pupils are keen to share their thoughts and opinions, enjoying open and honest discussions. They happily talk about the many things that they like about their school. These include having extra responsibilities, which helps them feel part of the community and boosts their self-esteem. Pupils feel safe because staff are attentive to their needs. Generally, pupils behave well, including children in Reception class. Staff have raised expectations, but these need to be higher for a few pupils because they display negative behaviour in lessons. Occasionally, this slows down learning. However, pupils now enjoy playtime much more and play happily. This improvement is due to the well-chosen play equipment and the support provided to those who need it. Most pupils achieve well in reading and mathematics. Well-considered teaching approaches have also improved pupils' writing skills. However, in some other subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and do not achieve as well as they should. The school has changed the curriculum to address this, but this is yet to have a full impact. Pupils try hard to show respect and tolerance towards others. They recognise differences and understand they should celebrate them. Pupils learn about how to stay safe online and in the community.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the school has not rigorously checked gaps in pupils' knowledge so that teachers know what pupils already know and can do. This means that some learning activities are too challenging for some pupils, including pupils with SEND, due to their lack of previous understanding. Some pupils are overly reliant on adult support. This slows pupils' progress through the curriculum. The school needs to ensure that checks on pupils' previous knowledge are used effectively so that teachers can provide sequences of lessons that build on pupils' previous learning.
• In some areas of learning, the school has not carefully mapped the knowledge and skills that children in the early years must learn to be ready for learning some subjects in Year 1. As a result, some children do not develop a secure understanding of the important knowledge needed to learn some subjects, other than English and mathematics, in Year 1. The school must determine the important subject knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn in all subjects from the early years upwards.
• A few pupils display more persistent negative behaviour, which sometimes disrupts their learning and that of others. At times, therefore, this slows pupils' progress through the curriculum because they are not able to learn. The school needs to ensure that all pupils receive effective support to improve their behaviour.

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