The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have created an ethos in which everyone is expected to be the best they can be. Driving this principle are the rigorous processes you have put in place to check how well the school’s work enables all pupils to achieve their potential, both academically and personally. This unwavering goal, and your strong conviction that learning should be meaningful, challenging and fun, are shared by a dedicated team of governors, senior leaders and staff, likewise your fervent commitment to ensure that pupils understand and respect the diverse nature of the society in which they live. These features were abundantly evident during my visit, as was the loving and caring ‘family culture’ about which parents and pupils spoke. The school’s mission statement, including that pupils ‘have life and have it to the full’, is tangible. The pupils I spoke to during my visit were gushing in their praise for the school. Other than having more things to play with at lunchtime, pupils were hard-pressed to think of anything that might make the school better. Pupils were enthusiastic about the interesting lessons that teachers provide, with one commenting, ‘Teachers help you learn in ways we might not even think about.’ Pupils explained how teachers often use drama to help them understand people’s feelings and motives, such as the character of Tim the Ostler in the poem ‘The Highwayman’. Others spoke about taking part in debates and of different strategies they are taught to help them learn more effectively, such as breaking problems down into steps, justifying their decisions and proving their answers. Your regular checks and evaluations of the quality of teaching indicate that this aspect of provision has improved since the last inspection. Nonetheless, your commitment to continuous improvement maintains a spotlight on ensuring that pupils experience the best teaching possible. This was evident in your restructure of the support staff team to ensure that they become a highly qualified resource for staff and pupils. In addition, your visionary leadership has introduced an approach in which teachers examine, in depth, the processes of teaching and learning in order to improve them, including through coaching. In the sample of lessons we visited, pupils were fully engaged in and enjoying their learning. They worked well together, sharing resources and discussing their ideas. Pupils also behaved very well at playtimes and in the dining hall. Older pupils showed a strong sense of maturity and responsibility in looking out for younger pupils. Those who had stayed indoors at playtime due to the wet weather behaved impeccably, playing board games and chatting sociably to each other. At the last inspection the school was asked to improve pupils’ presentation of work. Your introduction of a whole-school approach to handwriting has addressed this recommendation well. Inspectors also recommended that pupils at key stage 1 develop a better understanding of what they read. Since that time, staff training has successfully focused on further developing pupils’ vocabulary and comprehension skills. As a result, there have been improvements to reading at both key stages. You are aware, however, that more work is needed to improve boys’ reading by the end of Year 2. The school’s strengths are numerous and substantial, including leaders’ accurate evaluation of why the school is not outstanding. Pupils in key stage 1 build well on their earlier attainment at the end of the Reception Year. However, the gender gaps evident in boys’ and girls’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics when they begin school have not diminished enough by the end of Year 2. Governors have the skills and experience to undertake their roles effectively. They analyse information about pupils’ achievement and meet with pupils and staff. Governors visit the school regularly to check on different aspects of its work. This enables governors to challenge you and other leaders about how well the pupils’ outcomes are improving and how well the culture of the school is demonstrating the agreed vision and core values. Governors are outward-looking and preparing a strategic improvement plan for the next three years to ensure the school’s continued success. Leaders use a range of successful strategies to communicate with parents, whose views are regularly sought and acted upon. Most parents are highly satisfied with the level of communication from the school and very appreciative of the quality of education and care the school provides.