This is a small school where everyone gets along together. Pupils told inspectors that they are happy at school and that the school is like an extended family. Staff know pupils well and what they need to flourish. Staff ensure that the school is a safe place for pupils. Teachers expect a lot of each pupil. They make sure that pupils do their best in their learning and their behaviour. Again, teachers’ good understanding of each pupil enables pupils to achieve well. Pupils’ behaviour is very good. They are pleasant and friendly to each other and to the adults they work with. We saw pupils trying hard and assisting each other in class. This meant that everyone was able to concentrate and learn. Pupils play together happily during their break times. They told us that there is no bullying and that, if friends fall out, teachers quickly help them to sort things out. Parents are very happy with the school. Their comments to us were very positive. For example, one said: ‘Mostly I am happy that my son bounces into school with a huge grin on his face, ready for a day of playing with friends and learning new things.’ What does the school do well and what does it need to do better? Leaders and teachers have a clear picture of the curriculum. Staff teach reading, writing and mathematics as individual subjects. Some other subjects, including geography and history, are taught as part of topics. Teachers carefully check to make sure that all topics cover the national curriculum in sufficient depth. They also check that pupils gain skills and knowledge in a logical order, which helps them to remember more. Teachers plan the topics to take account of pupils’ interests as well as the key learning in the national curriculum. This means that pupils remain motivated and learn about all the things they are expected to. Teachers use the mixed-age classes to organise groups of pupils so that everyone learns well. We saw that teachers challenge pupils. For example, in mathematics, teachers expect pupils to think hard and to work out the best ways to solve problems using ideas they have learned before. When pupils do this, they often work together. This approach builds pupils’ mathematical knowledge. Teachers also make learning fun. For example, they use songs and rhymes to help pupils to remember things. We saw that children in the early years make a quick start to their learning in mathematics. Teachers and teaching assistants skilfully teach pupils to read. We saw children in Reception, who had only been in the school for one week, starting to learn phonics. They were engrossed in learning their first sound, ‘s’, after being introduced to ‘Sir Hiss’, a shiny, sequined snake. Staff were already preparing these children to start reading by providing books for them to take home to share with their parents or carers. Teachers build on this very rapid start to reading as pupils get older. Over the last few years, nearly all pupils have been successful in reaching the expected standard in the national Year 1 phonics check. Teachers check how every pupil is doing and provide extra teaching if anyone needs some extra help. This approach means that pupils quickly become confident readers. However, they don’t forget the skills they need. An inspector saw how an older pupil was able to work out the word ‘symposium’ in a book they were clearly enjoying reading. Leaders and teachers have noticed that, by the end of Year 6, pupils sometimes do not do quite as well in mathematics as they do in reading and writing. We saw that some older pupils did not know their times tables well enough to use these automatically. Pupils’ learning is not restricted to their subject lessons. The school provides all kinds of opportunities for pupils to learn in different ways. For example, each week, pupils take part in outdoor education. Pupils make lots of visits to interesting museums and exciting places such as the beach. Activities like these mean that pupils’ learning is broad enough to give them the knowledge they need to be successful in the future. Staff’s work in helping pupils to behave well and to be kind to each other adds to pupils’ success. Leaders are effective. They make sure that pupils know about the school’s positive values. Parents told us that the school meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or with medical needs. The school’s success in doing this means that there is often pressure for the school to take more pupils.