Since the previous inspection, the school has joined the St Nicholas Owen MultiAcademy Company (SNOMAC). As a result, arrangements for governance have changed. A board of directors and an academy representative committee are now responsible for governance at the school. The chair of the academy representative committee was appointed in April 2017. You were appointed as principal in September 2017. An executive headteacher and head of school led the school since the previous principal left in December 2016. There have been changes in teaching staff since the last inspection, including the appointment of some who are new to teaching. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You, your staff, directors and academy representatives are ambitious for pupils to do well. The school has a clear culture of caring for every pupil and providing opportunities for their academic, personal and spiritual development. Parents speak highly of the school’s ethos and how well their children are cared for. Parents and pupils value the wide range of extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities that the school provides, including sporting and cultural activities. Pupils’ regular contribution to highly successful charity work supports the local community as well as national and international charities. Academic standards at the school are in line with national averages. The proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception Year is consistently similar to the national. More pupils achieve the expected standard in phonics by the end of Year 1 than nationally. The proportion of pupils who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stages 1 and 2 are similar to, or better than, national percentages. However, too few pupils achieve at the higher standard. Pupils’ progress during key stage 2 compares favourably to national rates of progress. Senior leaders were asked to improve the school’s assessment and tracking systems by simplifying the way assessment information is collected, following the last inspection. Leaders were also tasked with making sure that teachers’ assessments provide a clear picture of pupils’ progress. Since joining SNOMAC, a new approach to monitoring how well pupils are doing has been introduced. Staff benefited from training in these new approaches. Training made use of expertise that exists within other SNOMAC schools. Opportunities to check that teachers’ assessments agree with those made in other schools also take place. These checks reveal that staff are much more confident in making accurate judgements than before. You have started to hold regular meetings with class teachers to discuss pupils’ outcomes. These meetings remind teachers of your expectations and identify which pupils are doing well. Teachers also identify where a different approach in class, or where additional support, is required to help pupils learn better. Improving pupils’ writing skills was identified as a particular priority at the last inspection. Leaders have trialled a variety of ways to achieve this. They have adopted an approach that develops and reinforces key literacy skills. Staff have received training in how to make the school’s approach consistent and effective. The success of the school’s response to this priority is evident in pupils’ outcomes. For example, the proportion of pupils achieving greater depth in writing by the end of key stage 2 has improved this year. Leaders’ analysis suggests that pupils’ progress in writing by the end of key stage 2 is also set to improve, although calculations to determine national rates of progress for 2017 are not yet finalised. Safeguarding is effective. The school has clear processes in place to safeguard pupils. These processes are robust, effective and fit for purpose. Leaders make sure that adults who work at the school are vetted appropriately to check that they are suitable to work with pupils. Leaders have clear expectations of staff’s collective responsibility to keep pupils safe. These expectations are reinforced to staff through frequent training and updates. As a result, there is an established safeguarding culture, and staff are vigilant. Leaders responsible for safeguarding make sure that additional support is provided for pupils who require it. They check that actions taken by external agencies are timely and effective. Pupils are confident about ways to keep themselves safe in a variety of different situations, including when using the internet and when near roads. They are confident that they would share any concerns about their welfare with adults at the school. Pupils also know of other organisations they could turn to if they feel unsafe. Parents and staff agree that pupils are safe and well cared for at the school.