The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. It is well regarded in the local community, as described by one parent, as ‘a very special school where each child is valued’. Since your appointment as headteacher, you and the governing body quickly recognised that some pupils were not doing as well as they could. You have made effective use of external support to make improvements to teaching and learning. These improvements can be clearly seen for pupils currently in all year groups. The opportunity for the youngest children to start school at age two is accelerating the progress made in the early years. Your staff and governors are fully committed to ensuring that the school meets its aim of providing ‘a good start for all’. In this very small school, you and your dedicated team juggle many different roles to ensure that every child receives a personalised approach to their education. This is very much appreciated by the parents, who recognise that the school is like ‘an extended family that promotes a love of learning, self-confidence and care for others’. Since the previous inspection, pupils have continued to achieve well. You know that reading standards are much better than those in writing and mathematics. You have raised the expectations of both staff and pupils by working with other local small schools and using the expertise of a local leader in education (LLE). However, you recognise that there is still some way to go in raising pupils’ aspirations. This is especially so with those pupils who have had minimal writing experiences before joining your school and lack the skills and aptitude to work out problems for themselves. Pupils’ presentation skills were noted as a weakness at the time of the previous inspection. You and your teaching staff know that this must remain a key focus for improvement. The behaviour of the pupils remains a strength of the school, particularly those pupils who have been with you since the Reception Year. Pupils are friendly and generally polite and courteous. Your small team has successfully implemented the changes to the primary curriculum in the two classes and maintained a rich and varied range of activities for the pupils. You and your governors have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of this very small school and are not complacent about the need for further improvement. Areas that require action are clearly reflected in the development plan and improvements are rigorously monitored by the governors. Safeguarding is effective. Although you enjoy close relationships with your families and there is a very relaxed and friendly feel to the school, the safeguarding of pupils is never compromised. All adults who work in the school know to inform you, as the designated safeguarding lead, if they have the slightest worry or concern about any of the pupils. Parents know that they must contact the school if their child is unwell and will not be attending. Over the past two years, there has been a high proportion of pupils who have not been able to attend school regularly. You have kept in close contact with their families and, where necessary, worked with external agencies to support them. Although overall attendance rates continue to be affected by a few pupils who are educated at home because of ill-health or taught part-time elsewhere, you keep in very close contact with the families. You, your staff and governors are fully aware of all the school’s policies and procedures for safeguarding. These are regularly reviewed and updated. You and your lead safeguarding governor have received the appropriate training to ensure that you recruit and appoint staff members who have been through rigorous checks. Your staff and governors also have a clear understanding of the need to protect pupils from any risk of radicalisation or extremism. Pupils report that they feel safe in school and know that the school would deal with any problems between classmates that might arise. They understand the dangers of using the internet. All the parents who responded to the online inspection survey, Parent View, agreed that their children are well looked after by the school. One parent emphasised that pupils ‘feel secure and nurtured’.