The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. The proportions of pupils at the end of key stage 2 reaching and exceeding the standards expected for their age in mathematics, reading, and spelling, punctuation and grammar, are well above the national average. The school joined the Southern Academy Trust in March 2015. Until recently the trust’s arrangements to review the quality of education at the school have lacked precision and challenge to drive forward rapid improvement. This has been exacerbated by changes in leadership at the school in the last year. As a result, current pupils make typically good progress overall. This has resulted in some slippage in pupils’ performance in writing. Consequently, pupils’ achievement in writing is in line with the national average and too few current pupils exceed the standard of work that is expected for their age. You have worked at pace to take stock of the many strengths at the school along with the aspects that require further work. You have taken decisive action to remedy some of the weaknesses that occurred as a result of staff changes. Along with the assistant principal, you have strengthened leadership systems and have improved the daily running of the school. For example, more precise teachers’ assessments in English and mathematics ensure that most teachers are using all the information they have about what pupils know, can do, and understand to strengthen quality of teaching and accelerate pupils’ progress even further. You are accurate in your evaluation that the quality of teaching is typically good overall. The school is undergoing rapid expansion. The trust has facilitated moving to a seven-class structure. Consequently, many more pupils enter the school mid-year than is typical. Precise on-entry assessments ensure that pupils receive learning that meets their needs. These pupils settle quickly, and those who entered the school with gaps in their learning, or have been previously lower-attaining are catching up quickly. Such rapid change at Motcombe has brought about some anxiety from the parent body. For example, a few parents commented that when concerns are raised they are not followed up quickly enough by leaders or the trust. Conversely, nearly every parent who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, would recommend the school and agrees that their child is taught well and is making good progress. You know that at this time of transition, leaders, including the trust, need to do more to fully secure parental satisfaction as the school continues to grow. When the school opened in 2015 there was a wide difference between pupils’ outcomes in reading and mathematics. Pupils did consistently well in reading but pupils’ outcomes in mathematics were below the national average. Your assistant principal reworked the school’s curriculum and provided a comprehensive package of staff training. As a result, staff subject knowledge is now good and pupils receive the level of challenge in mathematics that they should. Leaders’ whole-school strategy to deepen pupils’ understanding of mathematical concepts, to improve their aptitude to solve problems and reason in mathematics is effective. Previously identified weaknesses have been remedied successfully. Pupils across the school now make strong progress in mathematics. As a result, pupils’ outcomes in mathematics have improved markedly. Every pupil in 2017 reached the standards expected for their age in the end of key stage 2 assessments and the proportion of pupils exceeding this standard was also above the national average. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Policies, procedures and training relating to safeguarding meet requirements and are up to date. The trust’s recruitment checks of new staff are in line with national requirements to ensure the suitability of staff to work with children. You have tightened the school’s record-keeping systems. You have increased the number of staff who are trained as designated safeguarding leaders. You follow up any concerns raised with timely intervention and active engagement with multiagency support. You have ensured that staff know how to use and apply their safeguarding training within their daily routines and work to minimise pupils’ risk of harm. Pupils say that they feel safe and adults listen and help them sort out any problems quickly.