The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Standards have continued to improve and, in 2016, Year 11 pupils made strong progress placing the school in the top 10% of schools in the country for key stage 4 results. This is a result of your concerted efforts to improve the life chances for your pupils. Cullompton Community College is a caring school where pupils thrive. As a result, pupil numbers continue to rise. At the previous inspection, you were asked to improve the quality of teaching and learning in a small number of subjects and in most you have achieved this. You were also asked to improve the outcomes for pupils who have additional needs, including those eligible for the pupil premium. The appointment of a senior leader to take on the responsibility of coordinating support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those pupils in Year 7 who need to catch up, has brought about improvement for these pupils. We found the school to be an orderly environment where pupils are respectful, both to one another and to adults. Pupils told inspectors how well supported they feel and how much they appreciate the opportunities your team provide. Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured that all staff and governors are aware of the risks pupils face and take swift action when there are concerns, including about radicalisation and extremism. Your own training, as the designated leader for safeguarding, and that of your deputies, is up to date and policies and practice reflect the latest guidance. You have ensured that there are good standards of record-keeping and you involve external agencies when necessary. When you do have cause to refer cases to the local authority, you are tenacious in chasing up referrals when the response is not timely. Similarly, you understand the system well and so know how to escalate a case when you are not satisfied with the response. You work well with other agencies to support pupils at times of greatest need, when specialist support is needed, for example arranging bereavement counselling. When you are concerned that a child is not attending school and may have moved out of the area, you have instigated actions to locate them and ensure they are safe. Pupils and their parents report the school to be a safe place. Pupils who spoke to inspectors talked of a culture of tolerance and acceptance. They enjoy opportunities when other pupils share their experiences, including those who have different cultures and faiths. They also value the assemblies on staying safe and speak of their greater awareness of how they may be at risk of sexual exploitation. Inspection findings At the start of the inspection, we agreed the particular aspects of the school’s work that the inspection would focus on. The first aspect we explored was the attainment of the most able pupils. In recent years, the most able pupils have not achieved the highest grades at GCSE in a number of subjects. We found that, in lessons and in pupils’ work over this academic year, there is good challenge for the most able pupils. Their work is of a high standard and is well presented. In many subjects, pupils engage in highquality conversation and debates. In mathematics, the most able pupils were adept at using their reasoning skills to explain how they solve complex problems. Teachers’ feedback encourages pupils to deepen their understanding; for example pupils could explain clearly the nutritional value of the dishes they prepare in food technology. The school’s policy on marking for literacy is applied inconsistently across subjects. Spelling errors are more commonly picked up than punctuation or grammar errors. The second area we considered was the impact that pupil premium funding is having on improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Governors have carefully considered and reviewed how this funding is used and added additional funds to enhance this work further. In recent years, disadvantaged pupils’ achievement has improved and in 2016 Year 11 pupils achieved progress scores above those achieved by other pupils nationally. The standards in many subjects, particularly in science and English, are high. This group of pupils are working at a similar level to that of other pupils from the same starting points. Accelerated progress is seen for the most able disadvantaged pupils. Pupils who joined the school in Year 7 below the standards expected for their age are rapidly catching up. Intervention programmes in literacy and numeracy are effective in accelerating progress. As a result, disadvantaged pupils are confident, self-assured learners.