The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. ‘Learn and grow together’ is the school’s motto and you and your leadership team embrace it. With your quietly inspirational leadership, you have created a welcoming and warm school community. Staff have fostered open and supportive partnerships with parents and carers. Parents speak very highly about the approachable teachers; parents liken the school to a family. Parents are reassured that staff will listen to them should they have any concerns. The overwhelming majority of parents would recommend the school to others. They feel that their children are happy and that they make good progress. Pupils are equally positive about their school and they would recommend their school to a friend. They are proud to be pupils at the school and they describe it as a ‘friendly’ place to be. Pupils speak positively about their learning and they value the wide range of opportunities to learn and grow within the school’s nurturing community. Leaders ensure that opportunities for pupils to develop extend beyond the curriculum. For example, pupils value the leadership opportunities that the school offers. They are keen to take up the role of an ‘energy monitor’, a ‘sports ambassador’, a school council representative or an active member of the ‘ecocouncil’. Governors are knowledgeable and they have an accurate view of the school. As a result, they understand what aspects of the school require further development. For example, they are aware that pupils’ attainment in reading at key stage 2 was below the national average in 2017. Governors have since challenged leaders to ensure that they have taken the necessary action to improve pupils’ rates of progress in reading. This has secured improvements in this area. You and your newly appointed deputy headteacher have an incisive view of the school. You do not shy away from addressing aspects that need further development. For example, at the previous inspection, inspectors asked you to increase the opportunities for pupils to solve problems in mathematics. You have invested in new resources and provided staff with training. The subject leader for mathematics ensures that teachers challenge pupils to solve problems in their learning as a matter of routine. Pupils report that they enjoy learning in mathematics. Your systems to check on teaching ensure that teachers use their strong subject knowledge to allow pupils to explain their methods. Staff also ensure that pupils understand the importance of using correct grammar in their explanations. As a result, pupils can apply their knowledge to a range of situations. They are making more rapid rates of progress in mathematics, particularly at key stage 2. At the previous inspection, inspectors also asked you to improve the way in which you use pupils’ reading records to support their learning. You ensure that there is now a consistent approach to doing this. Staff check on these records regularly and pupils take more responsibility for their own reading. You have also introduced rewards to promote the importance of reading. Pupils are proud of their reading achievements. In order to motivate pupils to read, you have also increased the number of texts available in the school library that appeal to boys. As a result, pupils read more widely and often and teachers’ effective use of reading records is supporting pupils to make progress. You and your leadership team are uncompromising in your ambition to achieve the very best outcomes for pupils. Leaders’ reflective approach means that they are always looking at what aspects of the school can be better. For example, leaders acknowledge that there is work to do to ensure that teachers use accurate assessment information to plan learning across the wider curriculum. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders and governors have ensured that the systems and procedures in place to safeguard pupils meet requirements. All appropriate checks are made to ensure that staff and volunteers at the school are safe to work with pupils. Staff receive regular safeguarding training. This means that they understand the procedures they must follow if they have concerns about a pupil. Leaders’ records of their work with external agencies are secure and well organised. Parents and staff share the view that pupils are safe in school. Incidents of bullying are extremely rare; pupils are confident that teachers will deal with any incidents effectively. As a result, pupils report that they feel safe and happy. They explained to me how there is an adult in school they can talk to if they have worries or concerns. Pupils also learn about how to keep themselves safe, including how to stay safe online and on the roads. Inspection findings I was interested to know about rates of absence and exclusions for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. This is because, in the past, rates of absence and exclusions for these groups of pupils have been above the national average for all pupils. The overwhelming majority of pupils rarely miss a day at school. This is because parents understand the importance of strong attendance and pupils enjoy school. Leaders monitor pupils’ rates of attendance closely. This ensures that families of those pupils who struggle to attend school every day receive appropriate support. As a result, rates of absence for these groups of pupils are improving. This is particularly the case for those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Pupils’ behaviour around school and during learning is excellent. Leaders provide the appropriate help and support for the very small proportion of pupils who, on occasion, have difficulty with their behaviour. Consequently, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities who have been excluded for a fixed period has improved. I wanted to know about current rates of progress of the most able pupils, particularly those pupils who are disadvantaged. This is because, in the past, a lower proportion of disadvantaged pupils have achieved higher than the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2 than other pupils nationally. Leaders work with teachers in other local schools to check that teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning are precise in reading, writing and mathematics. You check on teaching to ensure that teachers use this information effectively. As a result, teachers use accurate assessment information to plan learning that meets the needs of pupils in these subjects. Consequently, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, make good progress. Nonetheless, you acknowledge the need to embed the use of accurate assessment information by teachers across the wider curriculum. I wanted to know about pupils’ progress in reading at key stage 2. This is because there was a slight decline in rates of progress in reading in 2017. In addition, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading was below the national average. Since then, you have taken swift and effective action to improve rates of pupil progress in reading. First, you have worked with the local authority to ensure that teachers’ assessment of pupils’ progress in reading is accurate. You also changed your approach to teaching reading. There is now a consistent approach to the teaching of reading across the school. This allows teachers to focus effectively on addressing weaknesses in pupils’ vocabulary. You have also refined the way in which you monitor pupils’ progress in reading. This allows teachers to identify quickly those pupils who do not make sufficient progress and provide them with appropriate support. Finally, to ensure that help and support are effective, you evaluate the effectiveness of teachers’ extra help and support on rates of pupil progress. Staff focus on strategies which have proven to be the most effective. As a result of your efforts, the evidence in pupils’ written work in reading shows that current pupils make better progress at key stage 2 as a result. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: they embed the use of accurate assessment information by teachers to plan learning that allows pupils, particularly the most able pupils, to make better progress from their starting points across the wider curriculum. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Lancashire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Emma Gregory Her Majesty’s Inspector Information about the inspection During this inspection, I met with you and other senior leaders, a group of staff and a group of pupils. I spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day. I also spoke with the school adviser from the local authority and five members of the governing body, including the vice-chair of the governing body. Leaders accompanied me on visits to classes, where I observed teaching and learning across subjects. I looked at work produced by pupils in reading at key stage 2. I also looked at pupils’ work across the wider curriculum at key stage 1. I examined a range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, minutes from governing body meetings and leaders’ analyses of attendance information. I considered the school improvement plan and leaders’ self-evaluation. I took into account responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and written responses from parents to Ofsted’s free-text facility. I checked on the contents of the school’s website. I considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.