The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Leaders know the school and its pupils exceedingly well. You are fully aware of the areas in need of improvement, such as the effectiveness of governors in holding the school more robustly to account for its performance and the need to embed new assessment procedures to carefully track the progress of each pupil. You have set about tackling these areas speedily and with zest. Your strong leadership has enabled staff to further develop and blossom in their roles. You provide high-quality training to ensure that staff are extremely skilled teachers. This enables them to provide a wide range of learning activities which precisely meet pupils’ needs. You have high expectations to which staff subscribe and, together, you share the highest aspirations for each pupil. Indeed, governors describe you as a leader who has ‘lifted the lid off what pupils can achieve’ and someone who is ‘full of passion’ to ensure that pupils receive the very best. As a result of high-quality teaching and a curriculum that motivates and inspires, pupils develop a love of learning and make good progress from extremely low starting points. Pupils are extremely proud of their school. They describe how they love school and feel well supported and cared for by staff, not just in their learning, but also in their physical and emotional needs. Parents spoken to are overwhelmingly positive about the care, guidance and support their children receive. There were many complimentary comments made by parents, with a typical comment describing how ‘the school is fantastic, can’t fault it, there is a lot of learning that goes on’. At the beginning of the inspection, we agreed on the key lines of enquiry to be considered during the day. These included how the school ensures that pupils are safe, the effectiveness of leaders in ensuring that pupils receive an effective standard of education, how teaching promotes good learning and the effectiveness of the curriculum in capturing the different abilities and interests of pupils. These key lines of enquiry are considered below under ‘safeguarding’ and ‘inspection findings’. Safeguarding is effective. School leaders, including governors, consider the safeguarding of pupils to be of paramount importance. There is a strong culture of safety and security which permeates the school. There is a shared understanding of the need to protect these vulnerable pupils from all possible risks. Staff receive frequent and high-quality safeguarding training which provides them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to keep pupils safe. This enables them to take rapid action if they have any worries about a pupil. Leaders work closely with a range of external agencies and decisive action is taken when concerns arise. Leaders and governors fully understand the importance of recruiting safely. All staff are carefully vetted prior to starting employment to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Risk assessments are in place for activities undertaken within the school and in the local community. These are regularly monitored and evaluated by leaders to ensure that they continue to be fit for purpose. For example, procedures for handovers between escorts and staff are detailed and carefully choreographed to ensure a safe and calm start for pupils at the beginning of the school day. Pupils told inspectors that they are happy in school and feel safe. They describe how staff look after them and support them in tackling any worries or concerns they have. Parents speak positively about site security and are confident that their children are kept safe. They welcome the support and guidance their children are given in keeping themselves safe in the local community. For example, parents are appreciative of the training being provided to their children when they use public transport, which includes the importance of not approaching or speaking to people they do not know. Such activities help instil independence and prepare pupils for adulthood.