The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Following your appointment as headteacher in 2017, you have wasted no time in raising standards in the school. You have a clear vision for the school and want pupils to achieve their full potential. You, your governors and senior leaders have created a culture of high expectations, which all staff and pupils share. You and your recently appointed deputy headteacher work very well as a team. You have a clear grasp of what is working well and those areas that need to improve further. You and your leaders have taken decisive actions to ensure that pupils make good progress in their learning. Children get off to a strong start in the Reception class. Most pupils leave the school having attained above the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics in key stage 2. Buckton Vale Primary School has a strong sense of community. The school’s values encourage every child to flourish. Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school. I found pupils to be polite and welcoming. They show positive attitudes to learning in lessons and take pride in their work. The vast majority of parents and carers who spoke to me, and those who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were very positive about the school. A typical comment was: ‘This is a lovely school. Teachers are very caring and my child is so happy.’ Another parent said: ‘The staff are wonderful and encourage the children to excel.’ The overwhelming majority of parents said that they would recommend the school to others. Staff feel motivated and supported. They have high expectations of pupils. Teachers use assessment information well to plan for pupils’ needs in each lesson. Middle leaders have a good understanding of the strengths in their subjects. They check effectively on the quality of teaching and the progress pupils are making. Leaders work with the local authority and with schools in the Mossley and Carrbrook Partnership to check that assessments of pupils’ work are accurate. The membership of the governing body has changed significantly since the last inspection in June 2014. Governors are passionate about the school and have a broad range of skills and experience. They share your ambition for the school to improve further. One governor commented: ‘We want pupils to achieve to the best of their ability.’ Governors know the school well. They use the information gathered on school visits to challenge and support leaders effectively. You welcome the advice and support from your school improvement adviser. At the previous inspection, the inspector asked leaders to ensure that pupils made better progress in mathematics. You have developed well-thought-out plans to address this. For example, leaders have revised the curriculum and purchased more practical equipment. This has given pupils improved strategies to develop their mathematical understanding. You have provided effective training for teachers that has had a positive impact on pupils’ problem-solving skills. Pupils’ assessment information and their books show that they are now making good progress in mathematics. Another area for development from the previous inspection was to ensure that all pupils, including the most able pupils, are challenged. You have strengthened teachers’ skills in questioning to move pupils’ learning on. Pupils who I spoke to in lessons said that they feel challenged in their learning. The school’s most recent information on pupils’ progress in key stage 2 suggests that more pupils are beginning to achieve at a higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics. However, you are aware that there is still work to do to ensure that the most able pupils in all classes are challenged further. Safeguarding is effective. There is a strong safeguarding culture at the school. Safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records are detailed and of high quality. Leaders and the school business manager ensure that all checks are in place before adults start working at the school. Leaders and governors receive regular training. Staff know what actions to take if they have any concerns about a pupil’s welfare or safety. Referrals are made in a timely manner and concerns followed up appropriately. Leaders work with outside agencies to ensure that pupils and parents are well supported. Pupils said that they feel safe in school and that they know who to go to if they have a concern. They said that bullying rarely happens in school and, when it does, staff are good at dealing with it. Parents agreed that their children are safe.