The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. This is despite the departure of a number of staff, including some senior leaders. The deputy headteacher is currently on secondment to a local school, as interim headteacher. Her role is being carried out ably by two assistant headteachers. You and they form a cohesive and effective team, which utilises each person’s skills to the full. This senior team has an accurate view of what is working well at the school and what needs further improvement. When a concern is found, you take swift and effective action. For example, in September you were dissatisfied with the teaching of reading across the school. You instigated an overhaul of reading lessons. Pupils’ reading scores have increased considerably in a short time as a result. You systematically tackled the areas for improvement that were identified at the previous inspection. You carefully diagnosed what needed to change, then provided effective training to improve the quality of teaching and, in particular, to increase teachers’ skills at teaching mathematics. As a result, standards in mathematics increased steadily until 2016. You unpicked the reasons why results compared less favourably to the national figure in 2016 and put remedial action in place for this year. Leaders regularly check pupils’ mathematics books to see if the actions are making a difference to pupils’ learning. You give clear instruction to teachers if pupils’ books do not meet your requirements. However, these checks have not always been meticulous enough to spot that not all pupils follow teachers’ prompts on how they can improve their work. Similarly, leaders’ checks have not diagnosed that some pupils do not understand what the various guidance symbols used by teachers mean. You have created a lovely environment, within which pupils enjoy learning and learn well. Pupils get on well together. They behave well in lessons and work hard. They are willing and able to help one another with their learning. Staff enjoy pupils’ company and vice versa. All take genuine interest in each other as people. Pupils are confident and self-assured. They are developing strong values that prepare them well to be responsible British citizens. Leaders have explored ways of working more closely with parents. The school has achieved a Leading Parent Partnership Award in recognition of its success. A parents forum now meets each half term to discuss areas of concern and to suggest ways for the school to improve. Governors seek parents’ views over issues such as homework. Nevertheless, you acknowledge that some parents feel their concerns are not always listened to or acted upon rigorously enough. You hope to break down any remaining barriers in communication by allowing parents, in future, to collect their children from the playground at the end of the school day, rather than them having to wait in the street. You and your senior leaders are keen to seek and act upon advice. For example, you have an effective working relationship with the local authority. Termly visits from the adviser help you evaluate different aspects of the school’s effectiveness. These visits are appropriately challenging and have led to some important improvements, such as the addition of an extra layer of recording around actions taken in cases of concern about child protection. This has further enhanced the school’s already-secure child protection procedures. Safeguarding is effective. The governing body oversees the keeping of records about the suitability of staff to work with children. This ensures that checks are thorough and correctly recorded. Staff are appropriately trained in all aspects of safeguarding. They are alert to a wide range of indicators of concern, including those that may suggest pupils are at risk of exposure to extremist views. All concerns are logged swiftly and followed up rigorously. Leaders respond decisively, where necessary, to ensure that arrangements for safeguarding are as effective as possible. For example, during the inspection leaders became aware of a possible risk. A clear plan of action was immediately drawn up and a swift timescale for implementation was agreed. In addition, leaders identified ways of minimising the risk until the new arrangements are fully in place. This is indicative of leaders’ commitment to ensuring that pupils are safe.