The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You promote a caring culture where every pupil is highly valued and known well by you and your staff. Pupils are happy in school and parents are very supportive. Parents speak highly of the care and quality of education their children receive. For example, one parent stated, ‘My son now loves going to school and is learning well. I would strongly recommend any parent to send their children to this friendly, caring village school.’ Staff have created a positive climate for learning in this very small school. As a result, pupils say they enjoy coming to school. They are respectful and behave well as a result of good relationships with their teachers and other staff. Pupils are enthusiastic learners. They particularly enjoy learning through topics that motivate them and inspire their imagination. For example, Reception class children excitedly told me about their topic of ‘space’ where they were creating their own passports to travel into space. One child enthused, ‘I’m going to use my passport to fly in a rocket to the moon!’ Hogsthorpe Primary Academy is a warm, friendly school where staff work closely together. They teach pupils to understand the importance of respecting others and valuing diversity. As a result, pupils are thoughtful, reflective and communicate well. One Year 2 pupil told me that ‘Hogsthorpe Academy is a place where everyone is welcome. People are kind to me, so I’m kind to them.’ Academy leaders have worked with the trust improvement officer for the David Ross Education Trust to develop clear strategic plans for what is required to shape and drive the future of the school. Your self-evaluation accurately informs your policies, actions and staff training. For example, you recognised that the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics needed to improve. It was clear during this inspection that there have been significant improvements in the quality of teaching and learning in this area. This has ensured that this year, a higher proportion of pupils in Year 6 attained the expected standard or better in mathematics. The governing body provides leaders with effective support and challenge. Governors are knowledgeable and regularly check the actions taken by leaders to secure improvements. They fulfil their strategic role effectively. Governors have a particular focus on pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and on disadvantaged pupils. They ensure that funding for these pupils is used effectively. You have dealt effectively with the areas for improvement that the inspector identified at the last inspection. Teachers plan appropriate work that matches the abilities of pupils well. When looking in pupils’ books I could see that pupils now have clear guidance about the steps they need to take in their learning. They are clear about the opportunities they have to access challenges when they can. One pupil remarked to me that she enjoys learning from her mistakes, explaining that ‘The teachers encourage us to never give up, to keep on trying and take on challenging work.’ You acted promptly to improve the quality of leadership and management by enabling teachers to access training, coaching and mentoring to fulfil middle leadership roles. As a result, middle leadership is strong and focused on continuing improvements. You have ensured that homework for all pupils is varied, creative and effectively consolidates learning that takes place in the classroom. Safeguarding is effective. Academy leaders have ensured that there is a good culture of safeguarding within the school. Staff and governors keep up to date with training. They know what to do to keep pupils safe. You work actively with external agencies and refer concerns in a timely manner. You and your staff are vigilant and are prepared to take decisive and prompt action, when needed, to secure pupils’ well-being. Pupils are safe and happy in school. They say that poor behaviour is rare but, when it does happen, staff deal with it quickly and fairly. Pupils feel well cared for by staff in school. They are taught about potential risks and how to stay safe in different situations. These include how to use the internet safely, safety when near water and dangers from strangers.