The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Until September this year, the school was one of two in the Beacon Federation. Since September, both schools have joined with three other first schools to form the Moorland Federation. A new governing board has been established that includes some of the governors previously on the Beacon Federation board. The expertise of some governors who are no longer in post as a result of this restructuring has been retained through the creation of a forum of ‘school guardians’. The guardians conduct a range of activities on behalf of the governing board. The reports they produce broaden the scope and depth of information available to governors to inform their decision-making. A clearly communicated expectation is that pupils’ standards will rise in each of the schools in the federation, but that the individuality of each school will not be lost. At Timberscombe, the school’s ethos ‘to live, love and learn together’ continues to be promoted strongly. You and your governors have encouraged staff to embrace the opportunities available to them through the federation and, more widely, through the West Somerset Education Partnership. This has made a positive contribution to improved teaching. In particular, staff have welcomed the opportunity to check the accuracy of their assessment. This has ensured that planning is pitched precisely to provide the right balance of support and challenge to move pupils’ learning on quickly. As a result, across the school, more pupils achieved greater depth in their learning this year in reading, writing and mathematics. You ensure that everyone at the school takes great care to support pupils’ personal development, as well as their academic achievement. Parents are very strongly supportive of the school. Comments such as ‘school offers my child a very special environment in which to learn, develop and grow’ and ‘I feel genuinely fortunate to be able to send my child to such a school’ were typical of those expressed by many parents. You and your staff lead by example and have ensured that the school is valued and supported by the community it serves. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and enjoy their time at school. Relationships throughout the school are very positive. Pupils report feeling encouraged in their learning by teachers who challenge and support them to do their best. You and your staff have successfully resolved the areas for improvement raised at the previous inspection. Teachers now provide pupils with clear guidance as to the steps they need to take to improve their writing. This, together with raised expectations and the introduction of a handwriting programme across the school, has improved the quality and quantity of written work that pupils produce in all subjects. Pupils are confident writers and are keen to record their ideas. Their knowledge of phonics remains strong, but there is more to do to ensure that their spelling is consistently accurate. Safeguarding is effective. You and your governors have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. You have created a strong culture of vigilance with regard to safeguarding. You communicate very clearly that making sure that pupils are safe and well cared for is the responsibility of everyone in the school and wider community. Training for staff and governors is up to date so they know what to do if they have any worries about pupils’ safety or welfare. Concerns about pupils are shared in staff briefings so that any necessary action or support can be provided in a timely way. Your highquality records are detailed and well maintained. You work very closely with outside agencies so that, when appropriate, pupils and their families receive well-targeted specialist help quickly. Pupils report that they feel safe at school, and their parents agree. ‘I know my child is well cared for and safe in the school environment’ was typical of the views expressed by parents. They also recognise the ‘strong family feel’ in the school, where younger pupils can learn how to behave from older pupils. Pupils of all ages get along well, look after each other and develop respectful and trusting relationships with each other and adults. The comment ‘grown-ups look after us’ was typical of the confidence expressed by many. Pupils behave well and report that they would happily talk to an adult if they had a worry. The curriculum provides many opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe. They talk confidently about managing personal risk, including when using modern technology.