The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. You provide a safe, caring environment that ensures pupils develop into confident, self-assured members of the community. Parents are extremely positive in their evaluation of the school. This is evident in the many positive comments written in Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. Parents wrote about the ‘well-rounded creative learning’ and the ‘amazing environment’. One parent commented on the ‘extra-curricular diversity’ that encompasses ‘the forest school and the reading dog’. You are new to headship and have worked extremely hard to ensure that the high standards of teaching, learning and pastoral support identified at the previous inspection have continued. You and your leadership team, including governors, have made sure that Stebbing Primary is an exciting and safe place to learn. Parents noted the ‘nurturing and caring environment’ where pupils ‘felt safe and secure’. You are providing a strong ethos for staff and pupils regarding the importance of effective behaviour for learning. Pupils develop the key skills of resilience and empathy for others through daily assemblies and in the classroom. For example, I observed a pupil in assembly making links between the ways that squirrels like the challenge of collecting food and the challenges that pupils at the school embrace and relish. Governance is strong at Stebbing Primary. The governing body has a breadth of expertise with which they both challenge and commend the school. Governors share your ambition for the academic and social success of each pupil. Governors visit the school regularly to inform their understanding of the strengths of the school and areas for development. The governing body has well-developed links with parents, particularly in the form of the parent forum. This has been useful in helping governors to inform their discussions with you and your leadership team. Pupils behave very well both in the classroom and around the school. They are supportive of each other within lessons. For example, I observed pupils in a Year 4/5 English class editing each other’s work with a high degree of understanding and consideration. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are high and pupils respond accordingly. You have ensured that pupils have access to a broad and rich curriculum. For example, pupils develop valuable skills, knowledge and understanding through regular French, sport and art lessons. Pupils also develop a critical understanding of the importance of citizenship in 21st century Britain. For example, pupils participate in elections and the Year 6 pupils listen to younger pupils read and lead the different houses in sports and social activities. You correctly judge the early years provision to be a strength of the school. Determined leadership in the early years has ensured that children enjoy learning and make good progress. The learning environment both inside and out is well organised, bright and stimulating. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development has steadily increased and is now above the national average. This is because staff have high expectations and structure tasks to match the needs of all children. You and your leaders take effective action where you consider improvements are required. For example, as a result of your work in improving the outdoor learning environment in Reception, the percentage of children achieving a good level of development has continued to improve. You acknowledge that there are areas in which the school can continue to improve. For example, pupils’ achievements in mathematics need to continue to improve. You recognise that teachers’ guidance to help pupils improve their mathematics skills requires more precision in line with school policy. You also recognise the need to continue to improve the attendance of all pupils. Safeguarding is effective. Pupils told me that they felt safe and protected at Stebbing Primary School. They told me that they were confident in the teachers’ ability to protect them and to make sure that the school was an enjoyable and safe place to learn. Overwhelmingly, parents who responded to Parent View evaluated the school as a safe place for their children. One parent stated that the school was ‘safe and secure’ where pupils can ‘flourish’. Pupils can define bullying accurately. They told me that it is extremely uncommon at the school and that if it did happen staff would act swiftly and appropriately to resolve the issue. School records confirm this to be the case.