The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since recently becoming acting headteacher, you have continued the good work of the substantive headteacher, sharing the same drive and high expectations for pupils. Alongside the headteacher, you have successfully shared these high expectations with all your staff, who say they are proud to work at the school and reflect your determination to do the very best for pupils in the school. Parents, carers, staff and pupils are extremely positive about the school and its leaders. The parents I spoke to at the beginning of the school day said that the school was ‘fantastic’ and that they ‘don’t want anything to change’. They say that there are plenty of opportunities for children through enrichment in the projectbased curriculum. Parents also say the staff are lovely and do everything they can for their children. Parents and carers of children in the early years enjoy coming into school, and they fully participate in events such as ‘Tea at Two’, where they find out how to support their children at home. Pupils are polite and well behaved. They reflect the values and ethos of the school, saying that everyone is welcomed. They told me that everyone just gets along. Pupils say that the school is accepting of everyone, regardless of anyone’s background. They all said they feel happy and safe in school and that everyone is well supported when they have a problem. The pupils I spoke to said that they enjoy coming to school to learn. They said that teachers help them to get better in lessons. Governors and the wider trust are incredibly proud and supportive of the school. They know the school well and have a secure knowledge and understanding of its strengths and areas for improvement. Leaders and governors work well together to ensure that everything they do benefits pupils. They understand the context of the school and are driven to meet the needs of all learners. The shared positivity of leaders and staff is supporting improvement. Following a dip in progress for reading and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 last year, you have acted to improve the quality of teaching. Teaching across the school, at all levels, is characterised by strong relationships. I heard teachers asking questions to probe pupils’ understanding and deepen their thinking. As a result, pupils edit and improve their work effectively. They are gaining confidence in reasoning skills. You recognise that raising attainment for disadvantaged pupils is a key area for action. You also understand that increased attendance for all disadvantaged pupils will help to ensure that these pupils make better progress. As a result of actions taken, attendance for disadvantaged pupils is improving. There is a clear plan for professional development. This is supported by the trust and linked to key areas for improvement. It is improving the quality of teaching across the school. Staff welcome the opportunity to further develop their practice. They are fully committed to sharing good practice and improving their teaching. This was seen in a lesson reflecting training in reading skills, where pupils were required to explore a text and demonstrate their understanding of plot and characters. Pupils were able to reason and demonstrate a deeper understanding of the vocabulary used. A robust system for induction ensures that new members of staff understand policies, procedures and expectations, right from the start. As a result, I could see consistency in approach to expectations for behaviour, across the school. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders are diligent in maintaining a culture where all staff are vigilant in making sure pupils keep safe. Safeguarding is a strength of the school. Staff training is up to date and staff are aware of their responsibilities. They have a thorough understanding of the risks to children. There is a high level of trust between adults and pupils, which has been nurtured through the support given, particularly to vulnerable pupils. Safeguarding arrangements are robust and fit for purpose, and the recording and reporting of information is detailed. Staff and governors are well trained and kept up to date by the lead professional, who tests their knowledge through regular quizzes. As a result, staff have a detailed understanding of current child protection issues and how to support pupils. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. They are aware of road safety. They demonstrated knowledge of fire safety and procedures to lock down the school should a serious incident occur. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens but, when it does, they know that incidents between pupils will be resolved quickly. Leaders have built effective links with appropriate external agencies to keep children safe, such as the police and the local authority. As a result, leaders are kept up to date with the latest advice and guidance. Staff know how to spot signs of abuse or neglect. They know how to report concerns and make referrals if they need to. As a result, every parent said their child feels safe in this school. Pupils’ well-being is well supported by trained staff. The wider trust has evolved a system whereby pupils on a trajectory to exclusion remain within another school in the trust. They receive appropriate support before transitioning back into school. As a result, the school has had no exclusions. Inspection findings In recent years, disadvantaged pupils have not achieved as well as others. This is largely due to poor attendance. Because of the decisive steps you have taken, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils has improved, compared with the same point last year. Actions taken include the lead professional working with families to meet the needs of pupils with social, emotional and mental health issues. As a result, parents say that their children are well supported. In the early years, disadvantaged children make good progress. When they start in Nursery and Reception, many children have language and communication skills below the level typical for their age. This is being well supported through the morning activities which children engage in. As a result, a higher proportion of disadvantaged children, compared to their non-disadvantaged peers, reach the level expected for their age by the end of Reception class. At the end of key stage 1, a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieved the expected standard in writing. This is because they have plenty of opportunities to write and they are introduced to mark making and letter formation at an early age. One of the ways in which teachers achieve this is to make learning fun, for example by providing children with note pads in their role play. While you have been effective in improving many areas of pupils’ outcomes, you are not complacent and recognise there is still work to do. For instance, improving attainment for disadvantaged pupils at the end of key stage 1 in reading, and improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. However, there are signs of improvement. For example, in key stage 1 there was improved attainment for disadvantaged pupils in writing and mathematics in 2018. Since September, you have monitored the progress of disadvantaged pupils on a weekly basis. Progress is discussed regularly with teachers, and additional support is put in place. Actions, which are put into place after a period of monitoring, have resulted in more disadvantaged pupils attending school on a regular basis so that they can engage in lessons. However, as this is a recently introduced system, it has yet to bear fruit in outcomes.