The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment in 2014, you have provided strong and consistent leadership for the school. You have reinforced the school’s values, which have given all members of the school community a sense of identity, of which they are proud. Staff, pupils and parents consistently talk of ‘The St John’s way’, which has led to pupils being exceptionally well-behaved, polite and well-mannered. Pupils have a strong sense of belonging and know that tolerant and respectful attitudes are highly regarded. As a result, pupils respect differences and welcome newcomers to the school warmly. You and your team provide pupils with excellent support; staff are sensitive to pupils’ needs. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of your leadership. As one parent said, ‘St John’s is a great school… it’s a great learning environment.’ You have acted upon and continue to develop the key areas for improvement cited at the last inspection. These included improving the effectiveness of subject leadership and the quality of teaching to meet the needs of all learners. You have increased the level of challenge in lessons with the introduction of ‘challenge tasks’, to which pupils, especially the most able, have responded well. Between 2012 and 2015 the most able pupils in key stage 2 have consistently attained results that are at or above national averages in all subjects. However, too few of these pupils reached greater depth. You recognise that challenging all pupils, including the most able, is a key priority for school improvement, especially in light of the greater challenges posed by the new assessment framework at key stages 1 and 2. You have continued to develop teaching assistants so that they can provide effective support for pupils’ different needs. You have employed qualified teachers to deliver bespoke extra tuition for the most able pupils and for those who need to catch up. Subject leaders make a strong contribution to the quality of teaching. They monitor pupils’ workbooks regularly and track pupils’ progress towards age-related standards rigorously. They develop teachers’ practice effectively. However, their plans do not clearly identify the actions they will take to improve the outcomes for the disadvantaged pupils. Similarly, the whole-school development plans do not prioritise the improvement of disadvantaged pupils. The termly pupils’ performance information given to governors does not identify the differences between disadvantaged pupils’ attainment and progress compared to others. Without clear improvement plans by subject leaders and measurements of success, senior leaders and governors will be unable to hold these leaders to account for the progress of disadvantaged pupils effectively. Safeguarding is effective. You, as the designated safeguarding leader, and the deputy headteacher have ensured that safeguarding policies and practice are given high priority in the school. All teaching and non-teaching staff are trained well to spot the signs of abuse and how to report concerns. Those members of staff arriving new to the school are given a comprehensive induction into the St John’s safeguarding expectations. Staff are aware of the systems to report allegations against adults. You are experienced in and knowledgeable about safeguarding matters. This has enabled you to elicit the necessary support for pupils for whom you have concerns. You keep meticulous records of your safeguarding concerns and contact with outside agencies. You work with families and support workers well to monitor the progress of pupils who have been referred to you. The school curriculum supports the school’s safeguarding policies well. Pupils of different ages are aware of the risks from using the internet and know how to keep safe. Pupils also understand the risks posed to them from using social media and smart phones. Your school’s values of tolerance and respect are helping to prevent pupils being drawn into extremism. Pupils are used to debating and exercising their democratic rights through pupil voice surveys, the school council, and personal, social and health education lessons. Bullying is dealt with promptly. Although incidents of this nature are few, pupils told me that staff use different methods to try to stop bullying behaviour, including working with the perpetrators and their families. Pupils are confident that staff will attend to their worries. Governors monitor safeguarding arrangements effectively. Parents, pupils and staff agree that the school is a safe place and that pupils are well cared for.