Umberleigh Academy received a visit from Ofsted Inspectors on the 3rd November 2020.

Please see below a letter from HM Inspectors with their findings:

 

16 November 2020

Corrinne Smith

Head of School

Umberleigh Primary Academy

Dorridge Hill

Umberleigh

Devon

EX37 9AD

Dear Miss Smith

Ofsted visit to Umberleigh Primary Academy

Following my visit with Lydia Pride, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 3 November 2020, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the visit’s findings.

Thank you for the time you made available to discuss your actions since September 2020, when the government expected all schools to open fully to all pupils. This visit was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections are temporarily suspended. Ofsted’s visits to schools during the autumn term are not inspections. We are not giving graded judgements. We did not undertake the usual range of inspection activities and were unable to check other sources of evidence, such as visits to lessons or looking at pupils’ work. The content of this letter gives an overview of our discussions about what has happened in your school this term.

During the visit, we spoke to you. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

Context Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s education system is managing the return to full 2 education for pupils, following an extended break in formal schooling due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of: ◼ approximately 1,200 schools across all Ofsted grades (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate) ◼ maintained schools, academies and free schools, special schools and centres of alternative provision, including those in cities, and coastal, town or rural communities. The information from this visit will feed into Ofsted’s national reporting so that the insights can be shared with the government and the education sector. We did not find any significant concerns during the visit. In such a case, an inspection report would be published on our website and available to parents and carers.

We did not consider your response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer terms 2020. From this visit, inspectors noted that: ◼ The school reopened to all pupils on 15 June 2020. You reopened after the summer break on 7 September 2020. All pupils are attending full time. ◼ Pupils’ attendance is below what is typical for this time of year. You have communicated attendance expectations to parents. You have put in place arrangements to support pupils’ return to school. ◼ Pupils are studying their usual range of curriculum subjects. You have made some changes to the teaching of music so that pupils can practise safely. ◼ In reading, you have assessed what pupils know and can remember. You can see some gaps in how pupils use inference and deduction since they have returned to school. You have adjusted guided reading sessions accordingly. ◼ Your assessment of phonics in Year 1 pupils indicates that they have forgotten some sounds and how to use them. You have allocated extra time and additional staffing so that you can revisit the gaps in phonics knowledge. ◼ In mathematics, you have checked what pupils have remembered now they are back in class. You have organised the curriculum to include more opportunities for pupils to learn about measurement. ◼ You have identified gaps in pupils’ knowledge of science. You have restructured the curriculum plan so that the science specialist now teaches across the school. You have also included opportunities for pupils to learn more about science through topic work. 3 ◼ You are providing additional support for pupils who have fallen behind in mathematics, reading and writing. You have organised daily catch-up sessions to address gaps in pupils’ learning. ◼ You have plans in place to deliver remote learning should this be needed as a result of COVID-19. You have taught pupils how to use the new learning platform, and they have recently practised this at home. You plan to deliver remote learning that mirrors the school’s curriculum.

Thank you again for contributing to this important national work. The views and experiences you have shared will help to inform future policy.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the TEAM multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Devon. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely

Tracy Reynolds Her Majestys Inspector