The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You and your leadership team lead and manage the school very well. You have ensured that pupils’ learning and well-being are at the centre of the school’s work. Leaders at all levels know their pupils and families well. They use this knowledge effectively to drive improvements. Leaders, including governors, are accurate in their evaluation of the work of the school. They are honest in identifying areas where further focus is necessary. Leaders’ improvement planning addresses weaker areas and their regular checks make sure that the actions of all staff make a positive difference. Leaders have addressed the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. They have invested heavily in ensuring staff have access to high-quality professional development. They work alongside the local authority and the local network of schools to enhance teachers’ subject knowledge. As a result, leaders have secured improvement in the quality of teaching and learning overall. Leaders have also created plenty of opportunities for children in the early years to develop their reading, writing and mathematics skills, both indoors and outdoors. As a result, a higher proportion of children in the early years now achieve the early learning goals in these subjects. Parents and carers are delighted with all that the school offers. Parental responses to the online Parent View questionnaire were overwhelmingly positive. They appreciate that leaders and teachers are approachable, and they value the enrichment opportunities for pupils which complement the curriculum. Parents typically say that the school staff are a ‘truly dedicated and caring team’. Also typical of their comments was: ‘Even though the school has grown in size, it has retained its friendly and family-oriented atmosphere.’ Governors are committed to ensuring that all pupils in school, regardless of their starting points, make strong progress in all areas of the curriculum. They offer sharp and timely challenge to leaders. They deploy resources strategically to enable pupils who require additional support to catch up with their peers. Safeguarding is effective. School leaders and governors have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. They ensure that checks on the suitability of staff are thorough and that they meet requirements. Records are detailed, organised and maintained to a high standard. Staff training is kept up to date. The safeguarding team has a review group to monitor any concerns that the school may have for vulnerable pupils. Records show that swift action is taken to protect children should the need arise. Leaders know families and individual pupils very well. Staff and governors have a clear understanding of safeguarding issues in the local community. Pupils who make up the ‘junior safeguarding team’ regularly communicate recommendations to leaders and governors on how to make the school even safer for pupils. The pupils I spoke to all report that they feel safe in school. Bullying is rare and they can all identify an adult in school that they can talk to if they have any concerns. Pupils are polite and well behaved in lessons and when moving around the school. Pupils are aware of how to keep themselves safe online. They can explain clearly what steps they would take when working online. Parents are kept well informed to help them keep their children safe when accessing online materials at home. Inspection findings During our initial discussion with leaders, we identified writing as a key line of enquiry. This was because progress in writing by the end of key stage 2 has been significantly below average for the last three years. This was particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils. Attainment has been broadly in line with the national average over the last three years. Leaders had correctly identified this as their key priority in their own evaluation. Standards in writing have risen in key stage 1 and current assessment information shows that they are expected to be above the national average this year. Detailed scrutiny shows that leaders evaluate accurately and work seen matches teachers’ own evaluations. Teachers are eager to ensure that their own assessments are accurate and reflect pupils’ abilities. In key stage 2, the school has improved the range of interesting texts available for pupils to read. Across the school, pupils read engaging texts to develop both their vocabulary and their enthusiasm to write. This is motivating pupils in their writing, including boys and disadvantaged pupils. Teachers have received extensive training to deepen their skills in teaching writing. Leaders have further plans for ‘English champions’ to support teachers in every year. Teaching assistants have also received training. School leaders ensure that support staff are deployed to where they are the most effective.