The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have successfully managed the expansion of the school to a three-form entry school. You have also effectively introduced provision for two-yearolds and overseen a major building programme on the school’s two sites. While managing this, you have maintained a clear focus on the school’s strengths and areas for development. You have built up an effective leadership team. Leaders share your vision and sense of moral purpose for the school. Leaders at all levels and members of the governing body are committed to school improvement. Governors provide an effective balance of challenge and support and are well informed about school life. You have fully addressed all the areas in the previous inspection report. Questions asked in class are challenging for the most able pupils; pupils know how to improve their work; and leaders are now active in raising standards. Even so, as you recognise, pupils’ attainment in reading and writing is below that in mathematics, in which an above-average proportion attain the expected and high standard. In particular, it is a priority to improve reading across the school so that more pupils attain the higher standard. The well-planned curriculum is enriched by a wide range of sporting, musical and artistic activities. Pupils of all abilities and backgrounds are provided with opportunities to visit museums, art galleries and attend concerts. Visitors to the school are chosen to inspire pupils to achieve the best they can in life. Pupils’ work arising from such activities, displayed around the school, is of a high quality. Parents and carers speak highly of the work of leaders and staff. They feel that their children are being kept safe and that any incidents of bullying are swiftly dealt with. Pupils’ attendance is improving and is now near the national average. However, further work needs to be done to reduce persistent absenteeism. Pupils behave well in lessons and all around the school. Mutual respect is evident in relationships between staff and pupils. The parents and pupils I spoke with and those who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire appreciated the care and attention to detail given to the recent development of the two school sites, both indoors and especially in the outdoors environment. Pupils speak with pride about their work and are articulate ambassadors for their school. Safeguarding is effective. School leaders and governors have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are of a high quality. You and your safeguarding team make appropriate checks on all staff to ensure their suitability to work with pupils. Safeguarding records, including the single central record, are regularly monitored by the governing body. Governors ensure that safeguarding has a high priority in the school. Training for all staff is regular, comprehensive and kept up to date. Leaders are aware of the specific safeguarding concerns in the local area. The safeguarding team knows individual pupils and families well. Your team works effectively with external agencies to ensure that families have access to appropriate and, when necessary, swift support services. Pupils of all ages told me they feel safe in the school. They all could name an adult in school they can talk to if they have any concerns. Pupils say they value this support. They also said that bullying rarely occurs in the school. Due emphasis is given to online safety and pupils were able to give specific examples of how to stay safe online. The school keeps parents well informed about the rapidly changing nature of online safety concerns. Inspection findings At the start of the inspection, we agreed to pursue three key lines of enquiry, the first of which focused on reading. In 2017, pupils’ attainment in reading was below the national average at the end of key stage 2 and no disadvantaged pupils achieved the higher standards in reading, or in writing. Leaders recognised the need for greater emphasis on the development of reading and comprehension skills, particularly for key stage 2 pupils. Children make a good start in developing reading skills in the early years. The environment is bright and attractive for children to develop early reading skills, both indoors and outdoors. From broadly average attainment on entry, children make rapid progress so that, by the end of the Reception Year, standards of reading are above the national average.