The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. It is to your credit that you have maintained a stable staff for many years, although you now have one non-class-based deputy headteacher. This stability has enabled you and several members of your staff to support other schools both locally and further afield. It has also ensured that Stanway continues to reap the benefits from the very good links with other schools in the local consortium, particularly in developing good practice. You have also engaged well with local initiatives to bring new teachers into the profession, supporting a number of newly qualified teachers along the way. Consequently, where any changes in teaching staff have been necessary, you have „grown your own‟. Not only have you nurtured this talent, but you have used it to great effect. You have done so, for example, in the leadership of mathematics and the learning innovation teams. This has undoubtedly had an impact on teachers‟ practice in the classroom and, ultimately, on pupils‟ learning behaviours. „Be the best you can be‟ oozes from the pupils, staff and leaders alike. One member of staff said, „Stanway provides a positive learning environment for the children to thrive in, and I am so proud to be part of this school.‟ This sets the very positive scene for the school‟s imminent expansion that you and the local authority have planned. You have already added an additional class to the Reception Year, creating two new single-age Reception classes. These children are clearly thriving and are very well prepared for Year 1. The addition of eight new classrooms will accommodate the growing numbers of families in Stanway and will enable you to have single-age classes throughout key stage 1 from September. Pupils say they enjoy coming to their „brilliant, kind, bully-free school‟. They are polite, courteous and very welcoming to visitors. Pupils in the classrooms and those I met with as a group were positive in their responses about their work and the support they are given to achieve their best. The new behaviour system is working well and rewards pupils for behaving in a way that the school expects. Pupils talk openly about having the determination to succeed in their goals, being selfmotivated and challenging themselves, all of which you have worked hard to improve. Such teacher feedback as, „Can you try three more questions from the next two steps on the learning ladder?‟ is a common feature in pupils‟ work in their books. Pupils are, therefore, confident to talk about what they are learning, how they know they will be successful and how they can challenge themselves. Pupils animatedly talked about their „dream folders‟ and the encouragement they have all had to aspire to reach their goals. As part of your science work this week, the teacher asked all pupils to look back at their aspirations and see what they need to know in science related to their dream. For example, one pupil told me he wants to be a footballer when he grows up. He said, „If I want to be a footballer, I know I need to understand about health and fitness, muscles and how my body works.‟ Pupils genuinely see their aspirations as attainable and that they are, to some extent, in charge of their own development. At the previous inspection, you were asked to improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good. I observed teaching and learning in mathematics in all classrooms, with particular emphasis on key stage 2. Pupils were all enjoying their learning and were involved in high-quality discussions. Teachers and teaching assistants were guiding pupils to challenge themselves or supporting them in their learning through sensitive and focused guidance. In one Year 5 and 6 class, pupils were measuring body angles using a diagram of a person taking part in sport. Pupils were immediately interested in this work which was astutely linked to the school‟s current science week. Pupils accurately used protractors: they understood that when measuring angles of more than 180 degrees, additional skills were needed because of the limits of a protractor. In many classes, „mathematics mastery work‟ was readily available and well accepted by pupils. This enabled them to consolidate their learning and use what they already know. For example, when finding missing angles in shapes, one pupil said, „I know this one straightaway, as I know opposite angles in a parallelogram are the same.‟ Together, we observed learning in English in all classes. Teachers planned interesting activities to grab pupils‟ attention. In three classes, a poem about a child not wanting to go to school elicited lively, reasoned discussion between Year 3 and 4 pupils. Teachers asked probing questions to see whether pupils had felt the same about not wanting to go somewhere or do something in their own lives. By doing so, pupils were encouraged to think about how they felt and, therefore, how the child in the poem might be feeling. „Talk to your shoulder partners‟ brought about some discussion that belied the pupils‟ ages. „I never want to go to the zoo when my friends suggest it, because I think keeping animals in cages is cruel,‟ said one pupil. Others set about persuading this pupil why a trip to the zoo is okay, which provided an insight into pupils‟ understanding of this moral dilemma. Providing challenge and encouraging pupils to be reflective in their learning runs through all classes, including key stage 1 and Reception. „It‟s a bit tricky, but it‟s a good challenge,‟ said one pupil. Pupils say they love reading. „It allows you to walk in someone else‟s shoes,‟ said one young pupil. Listening to pupils read showed that from a very young age they clearly make good use of their phonic skills. Pupils talk about what they are reading and the authors they enjoy. One said, „I like David Walliams because he is funny, doesn‟t go into too much detail, and makes his sentences quick and snappy.‟ Some older pupils are beginning to use such techniques in their writing. For example, „They look around transfixed. Until Olivia breaks the silence by saying “Is this real?”‟ However, such examples are few and far between and do not reflect the quality of writing of all pupils. Having looked at their writing in their books, it is evident that teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to write at length, and practise and apply their basic English skills. You recognise that this area is still being developed. Safeguarding is effective. You and your governors take safeguarding very seriously. Relevant checks are made to ensure that adults are suitable to work with children. Pupils say that they feel safe and know who to go to if they have any worries. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online because you ensure that they take part in activities like „Crucial Crew‟ and the internet safety day. You and your deputy headteacher are meticulous in recording any safeguarding concerns, and are tenacious in pursuing the support that pupils need. To ensure that you meet the needs of a growing number of pupils, you have appointed a well-being manager to oversee pupils‟ safety and welfare. This role is undoubtedly having an impact on many pupils, ensuring their success in school. Parents are very supportive of the school and its nurturing ethos. One parent commented, „The support we have received has been amazing, and still continues.‟ Attendance of the most vulnerable pupils is improving because you have raised parents‟ and pupils‟ awareness of the benefits of regular attendance. Almost all parents are very happy with the school and the way you and your staff care for their children. One said, „My daughter loves attending school, her teachers are fully embracing and nurturing her thirst for learning.‟ This was a glowing endorsement of the school‟s ethos. Not all parents feel that the school informs them of how well their children are doing.