The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. In your time as headteacher you have demonstrated your determination to keep on improving the quality of education at Eastern Green Junior School. You lead with conviction and set high expectations for pupils and staff. Your in-depth knowledge of the school and leadership experience served you well when you were confronted with the challenge of having to deal with a number of long-term staff absences that caused disruption. You responded creatively to this challenge and, as a result, pupils’ learning and the support that they receive have not been adversely affected. You are ably supported by the assistant headteacher, who has taken on extra responsibilities in the absence of another member of the leadership team. You also benefit from the support of a skilled and committed governing body. Parents, pupils, and staff value your ability to listen and to take on board their opinions and feedback to further drive school improvement. Pupils enjoy their time at school. They are well-behaved, keen to learn and are well cared for. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of care and education that their children receive. The approachability of staff and leaders, as well as the range of extra-curricular activities the school provides, are very much appreciated by parents. Also high on the list of reasons why parents value the school is how pupils are encouraged to actively engage in school life. Pupils themselves talk with pride about the responsibilities that they are given and feel that in school ‘we are like a family’. For example, older pupils act as ‘anti-bullying ambassadors’ and take very seriously their duty to care for younger pupils. Through the curriculum and the enrichment activities the school offers, there is a strong focus on the development of pupils as well-rounded individuals. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is a strength of the school. You make sure that this dimension of education, reflected in your mission statement, is part of pupils’ daily experience. This contributes greatly to pupils’ positive attitudes, their confidence, and the respect that they show to adults and to each other. Since the previous inspection you have continued to focus on the professional development of staff, including non-teaching staff, to further raise standards. Training in mathematics is effective in building staff’s confidence. You are playing a leading role in the local network of primary schools. You are making the most of the opportunities that collaboration with these schools can offer in terms of checking teachers’ judgements about the standards achieved and sharing of effective practice. Following your thorough analysis of the school’s performance, you prioritised and took appropriate action to increase the number of pupils achieving the higher standard at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. In order to continue to provide the best possible preparation for pupils’ future life, you have also improved pupils’ awareness of the diversity of modern British society. This means that pupils are gaining respect and are tolerant of those that are different from themselves. New approaches to ensure that an increasing number of pupils achieve the highest standards, particularly in English and mathematics, are having a positive impact on current pupils’ progress. However, these new practices are not yet fully embedded to produce consistently high standards over time. Having managed to maintain stable leadership in spite of senior staff absences, you are aware that the leadership structure is still not as strong as it could be. You are keen to develop the potential of current and future leaders, to increase leadership capacity at all levels, so that the school continues to be well led and managed. Safeguarding is effective. Senior leaders and governors have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and child protection records are detailed and of high quality. As designated safeguarding lead you make sure that policies to prevent risks are rigorously implemented and procedures to support vulnerable pupils are effective. When intervention is required, you act swiftly and ensure that relevant outside agencies are involved to work with pupils and their families to address their specific needs effectively. You follow up issues to secure positive outcomes. All members of staff receive appropriate child protection and ‘Prevent’ duty training. Leaders check that this training is effective and allows staff to be vigilant and to intervene swiftly if pupils are at risk or there is a concern. Governors check that safeguarding arrangements are effective and undertake their own training to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities.