The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You are supported well by an effective governing body which shares your high aspirations for pupils. Your expectations are high and you make no excuses for this because you want pupils to succeed. In 2017, pupils achieved well at the end of key stages 1 and 2. Progress of key stage 2 pupils has improved since the last inspection. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics in 2017 was above average. Good progress is evident in pupils’ books. However, leaders acknowledge that progress in reading is not as strong. You are supported by two able and committed acting deputy headteachers who accurately identify the strengths and areas for development for the school. Leaders acknowledge that there has been a great deal of staff movement. This has been a concern for some parents. Leaders are committed to retaining good staff. They use professional development opportunities to motivate and challenge potential leaders; for example, the leaders of learning who spoke positively about their role and the responsibility they have for sharing what they have learned with other staff. You have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. During the inspection, all pupils behaved well in class and when moving around the school. Pupils said that behaviour is good and that behaviour incidents do not disturb learning. One pupil said, ‘Learning, sharing and growing together is our school motto and it accurately reflects our school.’ Pupils learn and play well together. Some parents said that behaviour and bullying in school was an issue. Pupils said that bullying is rare. When incidents do happen, they are dealt with swiftly. The school’s records confirm that there are very few incidents of bullying. You acknowledge that attendance for some groups is too low. You monitor attendance regularly and provide support for families. Pupils understand the importance of attending school regularly and enjoy the rewards for good attendance. Pupils are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They said that there is nothing that they would change. Case studies show that intervention is making a difference; however, attendance for some groups of pupils, particularly disadvantaged groups, remains too low. Safeguarding is effective. Leadership of safeguarding is effective. Leaders have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Referrals to social care are handled in a timely manner. Leaders make effective contributions to multi-agency meetings, providing detailed reports. The single central record of recruitment checks is thorough and meets requirements. The large majority of parents and staff said that they believe their children are safe in school and pupils said that they feel safe. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and have a good understanding of how to be protected when using the internet. They were able to tell me about what they had learned, including the process of ‘zip it, block it, flag it’. Pupils are confident that they can speak to an adult if they have a concern. Staff and governors have received appropriate training, including on the ‘Prevent’ duty and how to recognise the signs that pupils may be at risk of abuse, including female genital mutilation. Inspection findings At the start of the inspection, we agreed three areas of focus. The first of these was to look at how leaders are improving pupils’ progress in reading. In 2017, progress in reading was in line with national figures, but not as strong as in writing or mathematics. Leaders have identified reading as an area for development. Many new initiatives have been introduced. However, these are in the early stages and the impact on outcomes is not evident. Leaders have introduced a variety of interesting activities to develop pupils’ love of reading. The library is well resourced and the librarian has a key role in promoting reading. Pupil journalists and author assemblies inspire pupils to read regularly. Pupils who need the additional reading support get individual time on a daily basis. Teachers have been successful in developing children’s skills in phonics. Outcomes in the phonics assessment in 2017 were well above national averages. A variety of stimulating resources are available to support learning in the early years. However, opportunities for children to read in early years are not always optimised.