The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Manor Primary School is an inclusive and cohesive community. The school’s motto, ‘Be the best you can be’, sets the culture of high expectations. You, senior leaders and governors have created a school in which pupils are happy and keen to learn. You provide effective leadership and have the respect of pupils, staff and parents. As a result, your staff and pupils are proud to be part of the school. Your leadership team supports you well and has the capacity to bring about further improvement. Parents are very positive about the school’s work and say that they would recommend the school to others. Their views are summed up in a typical comment: ‘My son loves going to school. He is encouraged to do his best and the school is a happy environment to learn in. The school is well led with a clear vision.’ A number of parents specifically mention how pleased they are with the progress their children are making and how well leaders and teachers support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are confident learners, are well equipped for their lessons and settle quickly to their work. Books are neat and tidy. Pupils enjoy helping each other when working together on tasks and activities. They rise very well to challenge and persevere even when they are finding the work difficult. Pupils’ outcomes are improving overall. At the end of the early years, outcomes were above the national average. In 2016, standards at the end of key stage 2 were also above the national average. Pupils’ progress in writing was very strong and progress in reading and mathematics was secure. At the end of key stage 1 last year, a higher proportion of pupils achieved expected and higher standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science than other pupils nationally. From their different starting points, work in pupils’ books and school records show that the large majority of pupils in year groups are making rapid progress in reading, writing, mathematics and across the curriculum. At the previous inspection, the school was asked to set more challenging targets for the most able pupils in mathematics and to develop pupils’ problem-solving skills in mathematics. You have successfully addressed each of these issues. For example, in a key stage 2 lesson, pupils were tackling real-life problems, such as producing bar charts of 1940 UK fighter pilots’ planned and actual flights. You regularly check the progress of pupils and ensure that staff plan more effectively for the needs of the most able pupils in mathematics. As a consequence, work in pupils’ books and school records show that the progress of most-able pupils is similar to other pupils with the same high starting points nationally in mathematics. Leaders check the quality of teaching regularly. As a result, they have an accurate view of what is working well. They mentor and coach staff effectively to develop their skills and improve their teaching practice. The monitoring of teaching, however, does not take sufficient account of the impact of teaching on the progress of groups of pupils in lessons. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. As a result, pupils are well cared for at all times. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that they are taught how to stay safe, for example when using the internet or crossing the road. Leaders and governors review staff vetting procedures and policies systematically. The electronic visitor checking-in system is efficient and robust. Teaching, support and administrative staff are well trained and vigilant. Both governors and staff carry out regular reviews of safeguarding, child protection policies and risk assessments of school activities and educational visits. The school works very well in partnership with parents and other agencies to ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for. Well-qualified and skilled staff manage the safety, security and well-being of children in the early years. The core values at the heart of the school contribute to a caring ethos of trust and respect. Pupils demonstrate a strong sense of self-worth and confidence. They say that they can always find someone to talk to if they are worried. All of the parents that I spoke to during the inspection and those who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, are confident that their children are safe and secure in your care. Inspection findings You provide inspirational leadership and are passionate about providing the best possible education so that pupils have the opportunity to achieve their best. Along with the senior leadership team, you have developed a collaborative and ambitious team spirit throughout the school. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes have been improving since the last inspection. Governance is strong. Governors are knowledgeable about the school’s strengths and what needs to be done to improve the school further. They provide a balance of support and challenge to you and the school leadership team. They use assessment and other information available to them to ask pertinent questions. They share your ambition to improve outcomes for all pupils. The chair of governors is actively involved in ensuring that safeguarding within school is effective. A successful focus on the teaching of mathematics has accelerated pupils’ progress in this subject. Teachers extend pupils’ ability to reason and deepen their learning in mathematics. For example, in a key stage 2 lesson, pupils developed their analytical skills well when substituting letters for numbers and numbers for letters into an expression in algebra. Pupils write for different purposes and in different styles very effectively. They are confident speakers and are good at listening because they regularly discuss their ideas together in lessons. During the inspection, Year 6 pupils were engaged in a lively debate using persuasive arguments as to why they would choose to live in ancient Sparta or Athens. I listened to Year 6 pupils read and looked at reading records. Although some did not read as regularly at home as you would like, they all read with an adult in school. Pupils read with fluency and confidence. They showed good comprehension of words and clearly enjoyed reading. Pupils enthusiastically talk about the books of their favourite authors like Jacqueline Wilson and Roald Dahl. Exceptionally strong links with parents help children settle quickly when they enter the early years provision. High expectations and the consistent reinforcement of daily routines in a nurturing environment establish a firm base for children’s excellent behaviour. They work and play well together and know how to take turns, listen to what other people are saying and cooperate very well with each other. Children in the early years benefit from a vibrant and highly stimulating learning environment. They experience a rich curriculum and are provided with many opportunities to develop their imagination. For example, children acquired some mature language in the ‘dentist’ role-play area, writing messages such as ‘I’ve got clean teeth’ and ‘My baby brother has only got two teeth!’ A girl showed great resilience and concentration as she persisted in rescuing plastic objects from the water. She then carefully counted and sorted them into small, medium and large sizes. On occasion, in upper key stage 2, teachers do not take enough account of what pupils are capable of achieving in deciding when to move particular pupils on to more demanding work. When this happens, pupils’ learning slows down because the tasks are too easy and they are ready for more challenging work. Consequently, this limits the amount of progress pupils make. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: observations of teaching have a closer focus on how well groups of pupils learn and make progress pupils are consistently well challenged, especially in upper key stage 2. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Walsall. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Steve Nelson Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection During the inspection, I met with you. We visited lessons and jointly scrutinised pupils’ work. I also met with the chair of the governing body. I talked to some parents as they brought their children to school. I considered the 135 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and looked at free-text comments from parents. I listened to some pupils read and also spoke with pupils in lessons and at breaktimes. I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. I looked at a number of documents, including information about pupils’ achievement, your school self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, attendance and behaviour records, examples of school records about the care and protection of pupils and other documents relating to safeguarding.