Keep up to date with all the news happening in school at the moment.

• Positive Ofsted report

  Wed 25 Mar 2026 First Federation Trust

  Aveton Gifford CofE Primary School is celebrating an extremely positive inspection under the new Ofsted framework, with inspectors highlighting its strong sense of community and high-quality support for pupils. 

   

  Ofsted found that pupils at the school thrive in a nurturing, inclusive environment where they feel part of “one big family” and enjoy coming to school. Leaders were commended for placing pupils at the heart of everything they do and for their determination to ensure every child reaches their full potential. 

  The report praised the school’s well-planned curriculum, which makes effective use of its local environment to bring learning to life, alongside a wide range of opportunities that boost pupils’ enthusiasm and personal development. 

   

  Staff were recognised for knowing pupils exceptionally well, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities, who receive effective support and make strong progress. 

   

  Inspectors also noted pupils’ positive attitudes to learning, their enjoyment of lessons, and the strong relationships across the school community, factors that contribute to good achievement and behaviour. 

   

  Head of School, Mrs Fern de Beer, said: “We are incredibly proud that the report recognises the caring, inclusive ethos of our school and the hard work of our staff and pupils. Our aim has always been to create a place where every child feels valued and can succeed, and it is wonderful to see that reflected in this outcome.”   

    

  Mrs de Beer continues, ‘To be able to lead a school where pupils are respectful of other cultures makes me feel privileged and proud. Pupils are fortunate to be able to access ample opportunities and undertake a variety of extra-curricular activities. They’re given many chances to develop personally and lead by example, choosing from various leadership roles, including climate ambassadors, school visionaries, and buddies, where older pupils support younger peers. We host exciting events including our pool parties and swimming galas, and offer unique activities including surfing, filmmaking and sailing.’  

   

  Angela Jenkins, Director of Performance and Development at First Federation Trust, said, ‘The school at Aveton Gifford is well-known and highly respected within the local community, with a seamless transition from the neighbouring pre-school into Reception. Early Years education has been deemed strong by Ofsted as teaching staff lead pupils from the beginning of their journey to the end of KS2, thoughtfully, passionately and creatively, ensuring they reach a level of development that is above the national outcome. Overall, the inspection highlights a school where caring leadership, engaging teaching and a strong community ethos combine to help pupils succeed both academically and personally.’ 

   

  

• Positive SIAMS report

  Mon 16 Dec 2024

  Parents at Aveton Gifford CE Primary School in South Hams, Devon view it as being ‘the heart of the village, where staff flourish and adults are happy to stay’ according to the most recent SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools) report by the Church of England.  

   

  The school near Kingsbridge, which is seen as having a ‘culture of acceptance’, is ‘living up to its foundation as a Church school’ with a Christian vision that ‘shines through school life’. The ‘Visionaries,’ a group of older pupils, help to inspire younger children and ‘recognise the importance of modelling the values’. 

   

  Fern De Beer, Head of School, said, ‘Our values are compassion, joy, friendship, perseverance, thankfulness and trust and our vision is ‘Sowing the Seeds for Success’. We're proud of our pupils for recognising Bible stories about ‘seeds’ and how they ‘link to everyday experiences’.  

   

  Fern continues, ‘We have a strong relationship with the local vicar and church where we connect via many joint events and worship, and have great connections with parents and carers with excellent two-way communication. We’re proud of our strong behaviour and attendance routines and thank everyone for their support in this, and we’re especially proud to see recognition for our pupils who stand up for each other and undertake significant charitable outreach work.’ 

   

  The report acknowledges the staff who are seen to ‘flourish in their roles as they know they are valued and nurtured’. Governing body, First Federation Trust, supports the school with leadership and training opportunities and ‘knowledgeable governors and directors provide expertise and challenge, ensuring that the vision is a priority.’  

   

  Worship routines are ‘deeply embedded within the fabric of the school’ supporting pupils in ‘making good choices and encouraging them to care for their environment and others’. Enthusiastic staff have ‘strong subject knowledge’ in RE due to excellent training, resulting in children who thoroughly enjoy the subject and ‘deepening their comprehension across the wider curriculum’.  

   

  Children are ‘curious learners’ who ask and answer ‘thoughtful and thought-provoking questions’ with a curriculum which also offers ‘opportunities for pupils to reflect and develop spiritually’ with a ‘calm and focused’ learning behaviour and ‘stimulating learning spaces both inside and out’. Pupils are encouraged to have their own opinions and are given a physical outdoor space where they can ‘reflect on what it means to have religious faith’.  

   

  Paul Walker, Chief Executive Officer of First Federation Trust, said, ‘Aveton Gifford is particularly strong in supporting pupils who are vulnerable or disadvantaged and are seen to have an ‘inclusive learning environment’. We work alongside leaders at the school to examine individual needs and determine any gaps which we seek to improve.’  

  

• Junior Life Skills

  Wed 19 Oct 2022

  ​On Friday 14^th October, the Year 6 children attended a Junior Life Skills event at Quayside Leisure Centre. During the morning, they rotated through a series of 9 valuable learning zones, including those hosted by the RNLI, police, a Devon County recycling team and emergency service representatives. One point that had a real impact was made by the emergency service, where they learned the danger of hoax calls and were informed that 50% of calls are hoaxes. A good, informative time was had by all and the children were, as usual, great behaviour ambassadors for our school. Keep it up Year 6s!

  

• Harvest Festival Collection 2022

  Tue 18 Oct 2022

  A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who kindly donated towards our Harvest Festival collection this year! Our School Ambassadors enjoyed a visit to Kingsbridge Food Bank to deliver this, here’s what they had to say:

  “We went to deliver the donations from AG School. The Food Bank is organised very neatly and everything is labelled with what it is and the day of the week it was donated. They make sure there is enough food for everyone, and they make 150 deliveries a week! They have different food for everyone’s tastes and have lots of different options for everyone. They are trying to get lots of blankets for people at Christmas so that everyone is warm and they have lots of school uniform for children.”

  

• Reception Starters 2023 School Tours

  Fri 23 Sep 2022

  Is your child due to start Reception in September 2023? Come and visit us at AG! Tours of the school for new starters will be taking place on:

  Monday 3rd October, 2pm - 3pm 

  Wednesday 19th October, 2pm - 3pm

  To register your interest, please email us on admin@avetongifford.devon.sch.uk

  We look forward to meeting you! 

  

• Year 6 Surfing

  Thu 22 Sep 2022

  A big 'thank you' to Discovery Surf School for a brilliant days surfing for our year 6s! They all had a thoroughly enjoyable time, and we definitely have some budding surfers here at AG! 

  

• Year 6 SATs Results!

  Thu 14 Jul 2022

  We are incredibly proud to announce that this fantastic group of Year 6 pupils who have ALL achieved 100% in their Reading and Maths SATs Tests! A brilliant result for a group of children who have worked incredibly hard and have achieved the best results the school has ever had - well done, we are very proud of you all, we know you will go onto great things! 

  

• Swans Class Residential

  Sat 25 Jun 2022

  Swans Class had a fantastic 3 days at Adventure Okehampton. The children were great, they took part in a range of activities, showed excellent teamwork and always had a smile on their faces! 

  

• Year 6 Surfing 2021

  Thu 23 Sep 2021

  Year 6 loved their surf lesson with Discovery Surf School at Bigbury Beach this week. 

  Thank you to the surf instructors for an amazing day at the beach. 

  

• Food Trying Club

  Fri 30 Apr 2021

  This week we have started our Food Trying Club in Kingfishers Class! This club gives an opportunity for our youngest children to try a variety of different foods and hopefully help them find some new foods which they like. This week they have tried foods such as green beans, courgettes, carrots, broccoli and much more!