The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment in September 2016, you have made a clear assessment of the improvement priorities needed, such as the focus on ensuring that pupils, including the most able, are challenged sufficiently. You have been highly effective in supporting the staff through this process. You have worked well with the governing body of the school. Collectively, you have effectively used the systems for managing the performance of staff to improve teaching. Consequently, pupils have a better understanding of how well they are doing and what to do next to secure further learning. Governors are more aware of individual pupil achievement because of the sophisticated systems that you have introduced to track pupils’ progress. As a result, governors are asking more rigorous and pertinent questions of you and the staff. This is helping the school to improve further. In addition, you and the governors have acted upon the recommendations from the previous inspection. You have provided effective training in teaching so that it has a more immediate impact on pupils’ progress. At the same time, you have implemented a new marking and feedback policy. This is monitored carefully to ensure that pupils are clear about what they know and understand as well as how to improve further. Parents are very appreciative of the way that you are accessible to them in the morning when they bring the children into school. They find this helpful as a way of sharing concerns and successes. They spoke of the positive differences that can be seen already in your time of leadership. One parent commented, ‘The new headteacher has been transformational in her few months in role’. Staff in the school, with your assured guidance, are providing a stimulating learning environment in which pupils are thriving and enjoying their learning. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural education of the pupils is a strength of the school. Changes to the curriculum include a greater focus on the understanding of different cultures in the United Kingdom as well as the rest of the world. The Christian ethos pervades the school in a variety of ways, visually and physically as well as educationally and emotionally. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Older pupils understand the fundamental British values of democracy and the rule of law. Pupils are happy and safe and look forward to coming to school every day. Safeguarding is effective. The headteacher has ensured that pupils are safe and secure in the school at all times. She has raised expectations with regard to safeguarding practices and supported staff in having a better understanding of how to assess risks consistently. This has created a culture of safety. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and child protection records are detailed and of high quality. The safeguarding policy is up to date and very comprehensive. The most recent Department for Education guidelines are on the website, which has all the necessary information about safeguarding. Staff have been suitably trained in the most recent changes to safeguarding procedures. The protocols for visitors, including parents, have been strengthened. Inspection findings The individual needs of pupils are better understood because of the closer monitoring taking place. Staff are clearer about the particular barriers to pupils’ learning and act upon them. Consequently, pupils are making better progress. A distinction has been made with regard to the needs of children from service families and those of disadvantaged pupils, which had not happened in previous years. Already, this has made a positive difference to the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. Teachers and teaching assistants have been made more aware of the different teaching methods required for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Individualised strategies are used and evaluated frequently, and such pupils are making better progress.