Welcome
Uplowman Church of England Primary is a charming and thriving village school located in the beautiful countryside of rural Devon, yet only minutes from the M5. Pupils are happy and safe at this inclusive school. (Ofsted June 2024)
Children reflect on how they treat others and the importance of being thoughtful and kind. Staff model these values through the pastoral care and
warmth they show to pupils. (Ofsted June 2024)
The school, as part of the Halberton & Uplowman Federation, has a very supportive Governing Body and an active PTFA who raise funds each year and hold social events which contribute towards our strong community feel.
We are proud of our warm and friendly family atmosphere where every child is cherished. This truly supportive environment is conducive to happy and successful learning and both staff and children have high expectations of work, behaviour, good manners and consideration for all in our school community. We are very proud of our Church School values of Compassion, Forgiveness, Hope, Respect & Trust and we expect all stakeholders to live and cherish these values.
Staff work incredibly hard to ensure that children progress well and as Ofsted
Take a look for yourself at our developing website, but perhaps even more importantly come and visit us and experience an insight into our school for yourself. We hope to welcome you soon.
Steven Badcott
Executive Headteacher
Halberton & Uplowman Federation
Our School
What makes our school so special?
Uplowman C of E Primary School is a happy and supportive Christian learning community where we recognise and develop the unique gifts and personal qualities of all.
Our mission is to enable all children to “live life in all its fullness” (John 10:10, the Bible) ... to enjoy a life filled with meaning and purpose, underpinned by Christian values, a love of learning and an eagerness to make the world a better place. We aim to provide an outstanding education for every girl and boy so that all Uplowman pupils will flourish in childhood, adolescence and adulthood - equipped with the knowledge and skills, personal resilience and creativity, and emotional intelligence and social skills that will give them every opportunity to experience lifelong success and happiness in the 21st Century.
We work in partnership with parents and carers (also the parish and local community; the Diocese of Exeter; Devon County Council; Tiverton Town Council and the Uplowman Parish Council) to find ways of ensuring that every child at Uplowman has the chance to discover their strengths within school and beyond.
Our staff and governors are committed to ensuring that our distinctive Christian values (Compassion, Forgiveness, Hope, Respect & Trust) are at the heart of all we do to ensure that every child feels nurtured, respected and proud to belong to the community of Uplowman.
Our five core Christian values
- Compassion
- Forgiveness
- Hope
- Respect
- Trust
We are an inclusive, values-driven school
Uplowman is an inclusive school. Our five core Christian values were selected because they are pertinent to the mission of our school as it serves the local community in a spirit of love and warmth, sensitivity and compassion, ambition and aspiration, hope and peace.
Our staff and governors are committed to creating a warm, welcoming, nurturing school where all children are valued, feel safe and themselves embrace and live by the Christian Values we feel captures the spirit of our school
Mr Badcott (Headteacher) says:
“At Uplowman we have high expectations and ambition for all. We are committed to ensuring all children make rapid and sustained academic progress over time from their respective starting points, high or low. At Uplowman, we are relentless in our commitment to move mountains whenever this is required. This cannot happen unless children feel safe, feel happy and enjoy coming to school, and as Ofsted remarked in June 2017, that school fosters a culture which is open, warm"
What the Bible says about the importance of having values:
“Train children in the way they should go, teaching them to seek God’s wisdom and will for their abilities and talents. Then, even when they are old, they will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6, paraphrased from the Amplified Bible
“Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way.
It is like a light that guides me.”
Psalm 119:105
What school inspectors say about our school's core Christian values:
“Uplowman Church of England Primary School is a welcoming, happy Christian community. Its positive ethos with its strong focus on inclusion, ensures that all children feel valued and enjoy school. Christian values have become recognised, celebrated and established in daily life. The recently introduced Christian values of compassion, forgiveness, peace and hope have had a very positive impact. Children say they understand that using these Christian values help them in their own lives.”
SIAMS “Outstanding” inspection report, March 2013
“(The school) takes seriously (its) responsibility to nurture the whole child."
Ofsted “Good” inspection report, June 2017
What Uplowman pupils say about school values:
The Christian value that helps me with my WORK is...
“HOPE, because I always try my best and want to get better at what I do.”
Y2 pupil
“TRUST, because I trust that the teachers
will help me learn new things.”
Y1 pupil
The Christian value that helps me with my BEHAVIOUR is...
“RESPECT, because we respect everyone around us.”
Y1 pupil
“FORGIVENESS, because when a person makes a mistake they need to begin again. When I was in Year 2, if I messed up I used to get angry and never say sorry and things would just get worse and worse. Now, I count to ten, say sorry to the teacher and make a fresh start. Just like in the Lord's Prayer ... forgive us our trespasses.”
Y4 pupil
“COMPASSION, because we have to look after each other and trees.”
Y2 pupil
The Christian value that helps me with my RELATIONSHIPS is...
“TRUST, because – just like trusting God, it is better when we can trust each other - when everyone is honest.”
Y4 pupil
“COMPASSION, because I think everyone gets on when they treat each other kindly.”
Y3 pupil
“FORGIVENESS, because when I make someone upset I say sorry and they say, ‘That's okay.' Then we are friends again and I feel happy.”
Y2 pupil
In the morning children work in their classes where the focus is on Numeracy and Literacy. In the afternoons we follow topic themes where the children may work with others in their year group or with other pupils across the key stage. The children derive great benefit from working alongside differing age groups and support and encourage each other. Work in all classes is differentiated according to the needs of the children.
During the course of the day our children receive class, group and individual teaching at different times from our experienced team of teachers and support staff, and it is our aim to develop independent thinking, confident speech and quality learning. We endeavour to make our school a happy and secure place and to build a strong, friendly partnership between home, school and community.
World War One Day
Children arrived at school dressed in a variety of costumes from the era to find their classrooms transformed and new rules to be followed. Children were addressed by their surnames and 'enjoyed' writing 100 lines if they were found talking!
Throughout the day children experienced a range of activities including cooking trench cake, writing letters to loved ones in the trenches, singing war time songs, solving secret messages and even completing marching drills.
A great day was had by all. Why not take a look at some of the fantastic photos!
