The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. In October 2017, you were appointed as executive headteacher of both Burbage Church of England Infant School and Burbage Junior School. Prior to that, you were headteacher of the infant school only. You have already begun to ensure a greater degree of shared activity and staff training between the infant and junior schools, along with an enhanced experience for pupils as they transfer to the junior school at the beginning of Year 3. You have been active in tackling the areas to improve from the last inspection. In particular, you have strengthened the quality of teaching by introducing regular review meetings between staff teams and senior leaders. The purpose of these termly meetings is to ensure a precise focus on the progress, learning and welfare needs of pupils. This ensures that teachers can quickly put in place any extra support needed for individuals. Your association with the Loughborough Learning Alliance means that you and your staff have regular opportunities to share good practice beyond the school and check the quality of each other’s work. You and your staff have developed an effective system for assessing and tracking pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Your latest assessments show that a higher proportion of pupils are currently on track to attain at the expected standard for their age, and at greater depth, in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2, than in 2017. This suggests that you have sustained the improvements begun in 2017, following a sharp drop in standards in 2016. Your assessments over time also show that pupils typically make accelerated progress during Year 2, especially in writing. In Year 1, however, pupils’ attainment and progress are typically less strong. Evidence from my observations of learning during the inspection and from the work in pupils’ books confirms that your assessments are accurate. The positive impact of teaching on current pupils’ learning is clear to see, in all year groups. In the early years, a revised approach to the curriculum this academic year has ensured that children progress well and show a tangible zest for learning. In Years 1 and 2, pupils were observed to be confident and enthusiastic readers and writers. Their workbooks show, however, that pupils are typically less secure in the more technical aspects of their writing, namely spelling and handwriting. A number of pupils misspell words with common letter patterns, such as ‘high’ or ‘came’. The quality of pupils’ handwriting is inconsistent. This is especially the case in Year 1, where some pupils were observed to hold their pencils in an incorrect manner. You have identified spelling and handwriting as areas of focus for the school. You have strengthened your leadership team by developing the role of middle leaders. For example, the leaders of English and mathematics join you and the deputy headteacher in checking the quality of teaching and learning in all year groups. They are confident to work alongside colleagues to share ideas and spread good practice across the school. You have also given the coordinator for special educational needs (SENCo) enhanced responsibility and training. She has accurately identified that pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities make less progress from their starting points than other pupils, especially in writing. She is in the early stages of developing a system which will enable teachers to measure progress for these pupils more precisely, in order to pin-point the next steps in their learning. It is too soon to evaluate the impact of this on these pupils’ learning and progress. Pupils and parents alike speak very warmly about the school. Pupils told me that school is ‘fabulous fun’ and they described numerous aspects of their learning which inspire them to do their best work. Memorable topics include learning about the Great Fire of London and ‘pirates’. Science and mathematics were also popular subjects. The vast majority of parents who completed the online survey are strongly supportive of the school, for example praising the ‘good communication and fun activities’. One parent summed it up aptly with the comment ‘dedicated teachers, good leadership, happy children!’ The well-maintained and attractive outdoor spaces are a particular feature of the school. Pupils’ physical, social and emotional development are very well promoted by the wide range of activities available for them to enjoy, such as the play trail, tyre park and the particularly impressive willow shelter.