A South Hams primary school has received a mixed assessment in its latest Ofsted inspection, prompting debate about changes introduced since it joined an academy trust three years ago.

Berry Pomeroy Parochial Church of England Primary School became part of the Academies for Character and Excellence (ACE) Trust in 2022, after many years as a standalone school.

Their most recent inspection, published under Ofsted’s new “report card” framework, highlights strong safeguarding and personal development, but raises concerns about curriculum delivery and leadership oversight.

Under the previous inspection framework, the school was rated “Good” across all major areas in 2017.

The new system, introduced nationally to replace single-word judgements, no longer provides an overall grade. Instead, schools are assessed against a range of standards, including leadership, curriculum, behaviour and personal development.

At Berry Pomeroy C of E Primary School, inspectors found that pupils benefit from a “calm, supportive environment” and feel safe at school.

Personal development was assessed as a strong standard, with children described as confident, respectful and well prepared for the future. Safeguarding was also judged to be effective.

However, the report identified areas needing attention, particularly around the consistency of teaching and the way the curriculum is implemented.

Inspectors noted that while academic outcomes remain high, pupils do not always develop secure knowledge and skills across all subjects.

Leadership and governance were also flagged, with inspectors saying leaders lacked sufficiently precise insight into some areas for improvement.

The findings have prompted concern from some within the school community. An anonymous email received by the South Hams Gazette questioned whether changes introduced since joining the academy trust had weakened the school.

“All those years of being a successful standalone school with lots of good inspections,” the email said. “It joins the ACE Trust and then gets a report like this. The things they changed have made the school worse, not better.”

A spokesperson for Academies for Character and Excellence said the school’s academic performance had improved significantly since joining the trust.

“Berry Pomeroy’s progress since joining the Trust has been exceptional, with the school consistently ranking in the top five across Devon for pupil outcomes since 2022,” the spokesperson said. “We welcome the Ofsted report’s recognition that pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the future and that outcomes remain significantly above national figures.”

According to the trust, 95 per cent of pupils at Berry Pomeroy have met the expected combined standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Year 6 since joining ACE, compared with 72 per cent prior to academisation.

The trust added that the report also highlighted pupils’ enjoyment of school, strong pastoral care and positive relationships with parents, and said it would continue to focus on improvement.

Education analysts note that the new Ofsted framework places greater emphasis on curriculum depth and leadership precision, meaning comparisons with earlier inspections are not straightforward.