The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection. Leaders have developed a positive, aspirational and inclusive culture based around the school motto of, ‘we work, we play, we care, we pray’. Your strong leadership has established a caring and calm ethos that ensures that all pupils thrive. As a result of leaders’ actions, attainment across the school has been rising steadily over the last few years. In 2018, the proportion of pupils by the end of Year 6 that achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was significantly above the national average. Alongside this, over the last three years the progress that pupils have made in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 has also been significantly above the national average. Since the school became an academy, leadership at the school has been further strengthened by the reallocation of management roles. You have established an enthusiastic and highly skilled staff that are determined to keep making improvements in their areas of responsibility. During the trust’s growth, staff have had many opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills and pursue additional leadership responsibilities. This has contributed to staff remaining at the school as they are happy and feel valued and their morale is high. Consequently, teaching, learning and assessment is consistently of a high standard across the school. Governors are exceptionally proud of the school. They are determined that pupils will achieve to the best of their ability, and they have the highest aspirations for their futures. Governors regularly visit the school to review the school improvement priorities. As a result, they have a precise understanding of the school’s effectiveness. They are knowledgeable and have a wide set of skills that they use to challenge and support you. Pupils love being part of the school community, and they wear their school uniform with pride. They behave exceptionally well in class and around the school. They are extremely confident and curious learners, because of the interesting learning activities that teachers provide. They value their education because of the excellent relationships that they have with staff and each other. As a result of strong provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural education, pupils’ understanding of British values is well developed. Pupils that I spoke with during the inspection were keen to tell me about the wide range of leadership roles that they have within the school and the work that they had done. For example, the ‘ethos leaders’ plan an annual conference for a wide range of delegates, where they present work that they have done, and the impact that it has had. They have also published their own ethos books. These books share a range of ideas and activities that other schools can use to promote their school values and pupils’ spiritual development. Safeguarding is effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. All arrangements are fit for purpose. This aspect of the school’s work is effectively led. Records are detailed and of high quality. Staff are thorough in checking visitors’ identify on entry. All staff and governors are well trained and kept up to date about safeguarding matters. Consequently, they have a good understanding of their responsibility to ensure pupils’ safety and well-being. The school’s records show that when there is a risk to pupils, leaders work closely with families to protect children. They also work effectively with other agencies when required. Pupils that I spoke to said that they feel safe and that they know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, including when they are online. This is because the curriculum provides many opportunities for pupils to learn about staying safe. The majority of the parents that I spoke to said that their children are happy and safe. The use of ‘prayer spaces’ provides pupils with a safe space to go when they need time to reflect, which they value. Inspection findings As part of this inspection, I focused on several lines of enquiry. The first one concerned outcomes for children in the early years. This was because the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development has been consistently below the national average. I also wanted to focus on the progress that boys were making in their reading and writing.