The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Senior leaders and governors rightly take pride in the ‘St John’s family’ ethos that is at the heart of this school. The school is a warmly inclusive place, where diversity is embraced and the full range of pupils’ backgrounds is celebrated. Staff morale is high and all who expressed an opinion said that they enjoyed working at the school and felt proud to be part of the staff team. Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths of the school and those areas that need to improve further. They are well supported and challenged by governors and the academy trust, who share their ambition and drive to make the school the best it can be. However, there is still work to be done to sharpen the work of leaders, governors and the trust in checking some aspect of the administration of safeguarding. Pupils enjoy learning, because teachers provide exciting and interesting opportunities across the curriculum. For example, pupils in Year 2 were fascinated by a crown that had been unearthed in the school grounds and were busy writing a detailed description of it. Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning, work hard and take pride in their achievements. One parent commented, ‘The school is very good at making sure all pupils are included and focusing on their strengths.’ As a result, pupils achieve well and in 2017 proportions of pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 who achieved the expected standards improved so that they were above those seen nationally, especially in writing and mathematics. However, senior leaders agree that there is still work to be done to enable disadvantaged pupils to achieve as well as other pupils in in the school. Although St John’s is a very large school, staff know pupils well and take good care of them. Most parents agree that this is true. One said, ‘I am very pleased also with the caring nature of the school as they respond to my concerns quickly.’ Leaders provide pupils with many opportunities to take responsibility in such roles as peer mediators, school council, Makaton ambassadors and as young interpreters. Pupils respond by embracing these opportunities enthusiastically. The great majority of parents are happy with the school and say that they would recommend it, although some are concerned about the impact of the extensive building works and consequent increase in the size of the school. You have responded fully to the areas for improvement highlighted in the last inspection report of the predecessor school. Teachers plan lessons based on a thorough assessment of pupils’ previous learning. They provide helpful advice and targets that give pupils a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Consequently, pupils are confident, eager learners. Staff check on pupils’ learning regularly and adapt the task or offer greater challenge as the need arises, so that pupils know that there is always help or an extra challenge when they need it. Safeguarding is effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school, underpinned by regular training and updates in all aspects of child protection. Staff fully embrace their responsibility to protect the pupils in the school and understand how to report and record their concerns. All staff understand that even minor concerns need to be recorded as they may form part of a bigger picture of wider concerns. Senior leaders keep detailed records of concerns about pupils’ welfare, and are quick to take the right actions to secure pupils’ well-being. This includes engaging with social services and other agencies when the need arises. Pupils feel safe in school. Parents and staff agree that pupils’ safety is given a high priority. The curriculum provides many opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep safe in a range of situations, including on the road and online. Some aspects of the administration of safeguarding are not as strong as the highquality safeguarding culture in the school. At the time of the inspection, the single central record of checks carried out on people who work in the school did not meet statutory requirements, neither did the safeguarding policy that was available on the school website. Senior leaders, governors and the academy trust have not been sufficiently thorough in carrying out checks on important safeguarding matters, and these weaknesses had not been identified. However, by the end of the inspection all the mistakes had been corrected and everyone in leadership was clear that regular checks need to be put in place immediately and carried out meticulously.