The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. You and your acting deputy headteacher are working with great determination to ensure that every pupil makes the best possible progress. In your capacity as acting headteacher, you are ensuring that the momentum for improvement is not lost while the substantive headteacher is on maternity leave. Leaders at all levels work in close partnership and share your high aspirations. Staff feel valued and respected. In the words of one staff member, ‘The senior leadership team has an open-door policy where I am happy to air any concerns and share my ideas.’ Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive and appreciate your work. You have created a vibrant and stimulating learning environment where pupils value their learning and make good progress. Pupils are confident, articulate and enthusiastic learners. Nevertheless, not all groups of pupils attend school as regularly as they should. You recognise that reducing absence rates needs to be a priority going forward. You and your leaders have effectively addressed the areas for improvement since the previous inspection. You have raised the profile of mathematics and, in turn, this has led to improving outcomes, particularly for the most able pupils. Teachers have been well trained so that they deliver the mathematics curriculum effectively and tailor teaching to the needs of different abilities. Leaders’ frequent monitoring of teaching and learning ensures that pupils are given opportunities to apply their numeracy skills across the curriculum. This deepens their understanding of key mathematical concepts. A pupil said, ‘I enjoy learning because my teacher gives me challenges in mathematics. I learn my times tables because it also helps me with division.’ Writing continues to be a strength of the school. This is apparent in the pupils’ written work displayed around the school. Nevertheless, we agreed that there is work to do to raise the attainment in phonics for the most able pupils by providing opportunities for them to apply these phonics skills in reading and writing. Furthermore, you have rightly recognised the need for increased opportunities for children in the early years to develop their speaking and listening skills to support them to record their ideas accurately in writing. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of high quality. Governors regularly check the single central record to make sure that adults working with pupils are suitable and checked appropriately in line with latest legislation. Leaders ensure that there is a strong culture of vigilance with regard to safeguarding pupils. On arrival, visitors are given detailed information about the school’s safeguarding and fire drill procedures. Staff are well trained to notice any changes in pupils’ behaviour and will not hesitate to raise concerns with leaders, should they need to. They have received training in all aspects of safeguarding, including radicalisation and extremism. Staff receive updates on safeguarding matters on a weekly basis and, as a result, they understand and follow the school’s safeguarding procedures consistently. Pupils said that they feel safe at school. They reported that they are taught about safety through lessons and assemblies. Pupils are knowledgeable about how to stay safe when using the internet. Pupils were keen to talk about the benefits of the recent poster design competition on e-safety, to raise awareness of how to stay safe online. Pupils said that bullying is a rare occurrence at the school. There are systems in place such as a ‘worry box’ and ‘Queenswell post box’ outside your office, where they can post their worries. Pupils told me that their concerns are taken seriously by adults. Parents and staff agree that behaviour is good and bullying is rare. Inspection findings We began by exploring the actions that leaders are taking to speed up pupils’ progress in writing so that more pupils write at greater depth within the standard expected for their age. In 2016, the proportion of pupils with average prior attainment who achieved this standard in writing was below the national average. Leaders have taken effective action to ensure that this group of pupils is challenged sufficiently in their writing and that they make good progress.