The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment in January 2014, you have developed the roles of senior and middle leaders. You have made sure that they take a full part in securing improvements in teaching and pupils’ outcomes. At the time of the last inspection, inspectors found that pupils did not have enough opportunities to improve their work, especially in mathematics. You have taken effective action to improve pupils’ outcomes in mathematics. This has ensured that the proportion of pupils achieving above-average standards in mathematics at the end of Years 2 and 6 has increased. Teachers effectively plan mathematical challenges that capture pupils’ interest and motivate them to work hard. Your actions to improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding in mathematics have been effective in raising standards across key stages 1 and 2. The previous inspection found that standards in reading and writing at key stage 1, were below national averages. You have introduced changes to the teaching of phonics. These changes have had a positive impact on boosting pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check. They have also contributed to raising pupils’ attainment in reading and writing at the end of key stage 1, which is now average. Older pupils enjoy reading. They read with fluency and confidence and have a good understanding of the meaning of what they are reading. You have introduced a wide selection of books to engage the interest of all pupils, especially boys. To improve pupils’ progress, you are encouraging them to read every day. Recent well-considered workshops for parents have given them effective strategies to support their children’s reading at home. You have made sure that Edward Wilson Primary School is a happy and safe place. Pupils enjoy their learning, behave well and take pride in their success. They feel safe and secure in school. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. They appreciate the high expectations that teachers place on them to be kind and work hard. Pupils understand the school’s values of respect, curiosity, perseverance, kindness and honesty and try to live up to them. One pupil said, ‘Other children help us work hard and we work hard together.’ You make sure that pupils learn about life in modern Britain. They learn about the democratic process, for example, through the election of school council representatives. You are teaching pupils the importance of tolerance and respect for all faiths, cultures and traditions. You and your leaders have the right to be proud of the school’s strong partnership with parents. Parents reported that they enjoy the wide range of cultural events organised by the school community. Those parents I spoke to and those who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, are very positive about the school. One parent said, ‘The school is my children’s second home.’ They appreciate the range of parent workshops, which help them to learn English so they can support their children’s learning. Safeguarding is effective. The culture of safeguarding in the school is strong. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are effective and that records are detailed and of a high quality. All staff and governor training is up to date. Weekly briefing sessions ensure that staff are kept abreast of any concerns that may arise. This includes training to recognise possible warning signs that a pupil may be at risk of radicalisation or female genital mutilation. Staff know the school’s procedures well. Any concerns are followed up promptly to make sure that pupils are supported and safe. Leaders help pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. Staff hold assemblies and teach pupils in lessons how to recognise different types of harm. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and they know not to speak to strangers online. Pupils and parents reported that racial and bullying incidents are rare, as the school’s records show. They are confident that staff will help them to resolve any issues. Inspection findings We first agreed to see how effective leaders’ actions had been in improving standards in reading and writing. This was because, in 2017, progress in reading and writing was not as strong as in mathematics. To address the underperformance in reading, you and your senior and middle leaders have introduced a daily reading hour. During this time, teachers provide interesting opportunities for pupils to develop their vocabulary and understand the meaning of what they are reading. You have invested in many new books to capture pupils’ interest and enjoyment, particularly those of boys who previously did not enjoy reading. Workshops for parents help them to better support their children’s learning at home. The successful implementation of these initiatives has ensured that pupils are developing greater confidence in reading a range of texts with fluency and feeling. However, it is too early to judge the full impact of these strategies to improve pupils’ reading skills, especially in Years 3 and 4. As a result of vocabulary development and careful planning in writing, pupils make progress in line with national averages. Pupils, especially those in Years 5 and 6, know how to improve their written work. Pupils are able to use a range of grammar and punctuation appropriately to make their writing interesting. They are proud of their writing. The school’s information shows and pupil’s books confirm that pupils’ write in a range of subjects. However, the writing in other subjects is not as strong as in English books. You acknowledge that teachers do not always identify pupils’ poor handwriting and presentation for improvement. We next agreed to see how effectively reading, writing and mathematics are taught in the early years. Standards are still slightly below the national averages, but there has been a strong improvement since the previous inspection. To address underperformance, you and your early years leader have implemented changes to teaching in Reception and Nursery classes. Adults plan interesting activities that enable children to enjoy their learning and achieve well. There is a focus on improving children’s speaking and listening skills. In discussions, adults extend children’s understanding and help them to expand their vocabulary and understanding of new words. Children in the early years work and play happily together. Phonics is taught well and children are able to use this knowledge when reading new words. The early years focus on reading stories with the children helps them develop their vocabulary. Children enjoy listening to stories and are able to retell the stories they have heard. Parents find the weekly sessions when they read in school with their own children particularly helpful. Adults encourage children to use mathematical language when playing with construction blocks. Children are able to recognise shapes and name them correctly. We next looked at pupils’ attendance rates. This was because pupils’ attendance was below the national averages in 2015 and 2016. Leaders make the whole school community aware of the importance of attending school regularly. Parents like the rewards given to pupils who attend school every day. The family support worker and phone calls to parents have encouraged pupils to come to school every day. As a result of the school’s focus on attendance and persistent absence, there are marked improvements in the attendance of pupils who previously had low attendance rates. Finally, we looked at the reading and writing progress of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. The leaders work effectively with all staff and parents to ensure that those who need or are entitled to additional support receive the help they need. The school’s performance information for current pupils shows they are making sustained progress from their starting points. The coordinator who works with pupils who are partially sighted ensures that the curriculum supports the pupils’ learning.