You have maintained the good quality of education identified at the previous inspection. Supported well by other staff and governors, you have successfully built upon the strengths identified then. You have also improved other aspects of the school, which is why parents are so enthusiastic about the quality of education that their children receive. Pupils throughout the school behave well and enjoy learning in an environment where they feel valued, safe and well supported. Parents were keen to tell me this. They acknowledge your role in helping to move the school forwards, particularly in addressing the dip in performance which was evident in last year’s test results for pupils at the end of Year 2. The great majority of pupils now make good progress throughout the school. All groups of pupils, including the most able, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, share in this good achievement. A knowledgeable and active governing body has supported you well in consolidating the success of Ashlands’ federation with Misterton Church of England First School. You have successfully adapted the school to the demands of a new curriculum and a new method of assessment. There is a clear strategic vision for how the school should continue to improve academically, while maintaining existing strengths in the quality of care and support for pupils and their personal development. Initiatives such as the breakfast club have helped to improve the confidence and the progress of vulnerable pupils. Staff have benefited from increased opportunities to improve their own expertise, often working closely with staff within other local schools. You have continued to improve teaching and the accountability of staff. You check the quality of teaching and learning rigorously. The school has benefited from some recent strong staff appointments. Staff clearly share your vision for further improvement. You have successfully resolved the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. It is clear that the school has a strong capacity to improve even further. Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured that pupils’ safety and well-being have a high priority. I talked to staff and governors during the inspection to check that they are fully aware of their responsibilities and roles in safeguarding. This is the case, and they outlined the recent training they had received. This covered various aspects, such as recognising ‘danger signs’ in vulnerable pupils and knowing how they should respond. Staff and governors are aware of issues around the dangers of extremism and radicalisation. They have benefited from recent ‘Prevent’ training. The school gives appropriate attention to the potential dangers of the internet. You provide parents with helpful information on how to keep their children safe when using computers at home. Parents are confident that their children are safe in school. They welcome the fact that the school looks after their children well. You reinforce this confidence by ensuring that adults in school are securely checked and cleared to work with children. The school maintains a strong culture of safeguarding. You have detailed policies and procedures in place to ensure safety. You have ensured that all arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and are of high quality. For example, staff record the details of any incidents that arise. You make sure that the school deals with these thoroughly, involving parents or external agencies where appropriate. Inspection findings Standards have risen across the school since you became executive headteacher. The school development plan clearly details priorities such as improving attainment and progress still further. You are very clear how this should be achieved. One of my key lines of enquiry during this inspection was to check the progress of boys in Reception. Children usually join the school with relatively low levels of knowledge, skill and personal development for their age. They have increasingly made good progress, resulting in an overall good level of development close to what is expected nationally for children at the end of Reception. Until recently, boys’ achievement had been much lower than that of girls. The relatively new early years leader recognised that this situation needed to change.