The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You arrived in Furrowfield initially in a temporary capacity, following significant turbulence in leadership and governance after that inspection. You rapidly ‘took the bull by the horns’, leading by example, to ensure that the school recovered, to build morale and to continue the school’s journey to outstanding. You have successfully energised staff, governors and pupils in your ambitious vision. Together with the complementary skills of the leadership team, you have ensured that Furrowfield is a welcoming, safe, calm and purposeful school community. It is grounded in the high expectations you have to improve pupils’ life chances, to prepare them well for life after school and as citizens in modern Britain today. You have tackled the areas identified as needing improvement at the previous inspection effectively. For example, pupils’ progress in English is hastening, not least due to the significant range of planned opportunities pupils have to develop their reading and literacy skills throughout the day. Special reading sessions for pupils who struggled with reading in their previous schools help pupils catch up quickly to where they should be and to give them the confidence to ‘have a go’ at more complex texts. The improved curriculum and range of enrichment opportunities within and beyond the school day is enticing pupils back into learning successfully. While you acknowledge absence rates are still higher than average, they have reduced significantly as a result of actions taken. This includes support to pupils and families in times of great need and the strident action taken when support does not result in a reduction in rates. Your resolute focus on improving the quality of teaching is having the desired effect on its quality and pupils’ learning. Teaching is good and pupils usually make good progress from their often well below average starting points into school. English, mathematics and science books showcase the effort pupils put into their learning and the good progress they are making. Pupils’ achievements in art are strong. You and your senior team’s regular checks on teaching have recently identified that, occasionally, the most able are not always stretched enough. The development of pupils’ behavioural and personal qualities, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural dimensions is a real strength. Teachers, teaching assistants and the key worker for each pupil have a good understanding of pupils’ needs. This is as a result of the very good relationships they develop with pupils and the meticulous records they keep on pupils’ behavioural, social and emotional needs. Staff work together sensitively and successfully, to support and manage the complex behaviours of pupils. They are also becoming increasingly adept at helping pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour. Consequently, the number of pupils subject to fixed-period exclusions is reducing well, as is the proportion who require physical intervention when serious incidents flare up. Governors have worked with you to secure recovery from the turbulent times and drive the school forward successfully. They review the school development plan regularly, to check progress of actions being taken. However, there are few measurable targets in the plan; consequently, governors cannot always check the full impact of actions on pupils’ progress over time. Governors accept that they have not been sharp enough in checking if the school’s website meets Department for Education (DfE) requirements fully. Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are robust. Record-keeping for pupils at risk of harm and in need of protection, or who are being supported because of concerns, are meticulously kept and are of a high quality. When warning bells start to ring, you work closely with families and any relevant external agency to secure appropriate early help and support. When disclosures are made or safeguarding concerns identified, timely referrals are made to children’s social care or the designated lead for safeguarding in the local authority. Staff are well trained in all aspects of child protection and safeguarding and know how to respond to concerns. Staff are vigilant in ensuring that pupils are safe and understand how to keep safe, from risks in school, when on visits out of school, when online or from risks to their safety in the local community. Work is threaded through the personal, social, citizenship and economic education and tutorial time. This includes detailed work in managing risks from local concerns, such as anti-social behaviour, misuse of drugs and alcohol, knife crime, online grooming and sexual exploitation.