The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Together with other leaders and governors, you have worked effectively to ensure that pupils continue to enjoy school and make good progress. You have done this by creating a positive and supportive culture reflecting your core principle of ‘Nurturing hearts; inspiring minds’. The overwhelming majority of pupils and parents recognise this and are proud to be a part of the school. For example, parents who responded to the online survey typically wrote, ‘There is always a welcoming, friendly and nurturing atmosphere here with a great learning ethos’, and, ‘this is a lovely little school that nurtures its pupils to be well-rounded, caring and thoughtful individuals’. Pupils feel valued and are keen to make positive contributions, in lessons as well as through other activities, such as the eco committee or school council. There have been four new teaching appointments since September 2017, three of which are to fixed-term posts. This has meant a new teacher in every class. These have come about as a matter of coincidence due to individual circumstances. However, effective professional support, in addition to strong induction arrangements, have enabled all new staff to feel welcome, get settled quickly and to start making a positive impact in terms of teaching and in the emerging stages of their subject leadership. This is maintaining the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils are making good progress, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Teachers have been quick in getting to know the pupils. As a result, they plan lessons and learning well to meet pupils’ needs. Furthermore, leaders have a detailed knowledge of pupils, which they use to check on progress and ensure that staffing changes are not adversely affecting the pupils. Since the previous inspection, you and the deputy headteacher have remained as anchors in the school’s leadership to fully resolve identified areas for improvement. You have worked effectively with others, including the school’s local authority adviser, to keep an honest and accurate view of the school. As a result, you have intervened quickly to improve past weaknesses in teaching and ensure that teaching, learning and assessment are continuing to improve. This is reflected, for example, in the quality of the early years foundation stage, where, since the previous inspection, the provision has been transformed so that the children achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. You work effectively with a knowledgeable and caring governing body. Governors responded positively to the recommendation of the last inspection to ensure that they show challenge and clearly hold you to account. They carry out their business efficiently and with the best interests of the pupils at heart, including visiting the school to meet with pupils and observe the impact of leaders’ strategies first hand. Since the previous inspection, there have been changes to the governing body, including a new chair of the governing board starting in September 2017. Governors undertake key training to ensure that their skills and knowledge are current to keep holding you to account in their efforts for continued improvement. Currently, the governing body is faced with the immediate challenge of recruiting teachers, including for the deputy headteacher’s cover from the spring term 2018. However, governors are being proactive in seeking the right advice to ensure that a rigorous recruitment and selection process is under way. During the visit, we agreed some further areas to improve pupils’ outcomes. These had already been correctly identified by you, as seen in monitoring records and discussions held with staff and the local authority. It remains a challenge to leaders and teachers to raise standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1. This includes increasing the proportion of pupils who meet the highest standards or greater depth. In addition, although we found that there is strong writing across the school, pupils still do not always produce work to the same high standard in all subjects. For example, teachers’ expectations of pupils’ writing in topics and science are not always consistently as high when compared with those for English. As a result, pupils are not always using and applying their writing skills to rehearse, deepen or improve their writing to the full. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership ensures that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. For example, pre-employment checks and vetting and recruitment practices comply with regulations. Staff receive advice and information about safeguarding as part of their induction. This means staff are well informed and know about the school’s processes for keeping pupils safe. They are confident in knowing when and how to report any concerns as well as what to do in the event of whistle-blowing. You work well with other agencies to support vulnerable pupils and their families, including making timely referrals to social services and healthcare professionals, for example the Dorset Family Partnership. Pupils say that they feel safe. For example, they know what bullying is and say that this is very rare in the school. If it happens, pupils, staff and the majority of parents agree that this is resolved. Pupils trust school staff and can explain how to keep safe in different situations, for example when working online or if they need to follow the school’s fire evacuation drill. Pupils agree that this is a happy school where they feel valued and respected. Inspection findings My first key line of enquiry considered how well pupils are progressing in writing in key stage 2. You and other leaders have been rightly prioritising this area on the school development plan. As a result, the actions you are taking are continuing to ensure that pupils are making good progress. You have introduced a series of initiatives and taken effective action to improve the quality of teaching and learning in writing. For example, the sequence of teaching which starts with a memorable event (such as Year 5 and Year 6 pupils visiting the Fleet Air Arm Museum) and the use of high-quality texts to model writing are having a positive impact. Pupils write with enthusiasm and knowledge to complete sustained and often high-quality pieces of work. However, as we discussed, this is not always consistent in all subjects. You also effectively monitor and check on pupils’ progress to intervene if they fall behind or find writing difficult. You ensure that staff are trained to support pupils; for example, the introduction of a new intervention since September 2017 is supporting disadvantaged pupils particularly well. My second key line of enquiry evaluated how well leaders and teachers are improving teaching, learning and assessment in key stage 1. This is because results in 2017 were disappointing and there has been some previous variation in pupils’ outcomes. You have identified this as an area for improvement and are taking effective action to target particular groups and cohorts to raise achievement. This is working well because you have a good knowledge of the pupils and check on their progress at least every six weeks, including pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and lower attaining pupils. Teaching in key stage 1 is focusing well on the age-appropriate content and expectations for pupils. This is helping to raise standards and build pupils’ skills in line with national benchmarks for the end of Year 2. However, attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is still lower than expected for pupils currently, including those meeting the highest standards or greater depth. We agreed that there are occasions when teaching does not fully meet the different needs of all pupils, including the most able, which can sometimes slow their rates of progress. During the inspection, we also checked on the progress of pupils who are now in Years 3 and 4. Workbooks and other evidence show that pupils in these year groups are starting to catch up well. The teaching of a daily systematic and synthetic approach to phonics is working well so that pupils are gaining increasing skills and confidence in letters and sounds by the end of key stage 1. In 2017, success in the Year 1 phonics screening check saw a 20% increase and was very close to the national average. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils meet the standard. You ensure that phonics is also brought into early key stage 2 so that pupils can continue their learning and understanding of this, and continue to receive targeted support if needed. The third key line of enquiry evaluated the effectiveness of all leaders in building capacity to continue improving the school. You work especially well with the deputy headteacher who has an exceptional knowledge of the pupils. Together you have established strong processes and systems for checking pupils and holding others to account. This is effective in supporting pupils to do well. However, you are not complacent, which is seen in the increasing checks on pupils’ outcomes, such as ensuring that the progress of all disadvantaged pupils is checked at least every half term. This is particularly relevant as there is such a high percentage of these pupils who also have SEN. You have established effective communication and engender a strong team ethic so that new leaders feel supported and have already been able to make positive contributions. In addition, strong and well-established systems mean that leaders have adapted to their new situation quickly. They have been well mentored or supported by experienced colleagues. However, as we discussed, subject leaders do not yet take full responsibility for their own action plans, which reduces their sense of ownership and the school’s capacity. This is something that is being developed as the teachers become established. Governors take effective action to hold you to account. Their visits are planned well to meet priorities in the school development plan. In seeking to improve the school, governors have found a healthy balance between support and challenge. Governors empower staff through ensuring that there is a positive and supportive environment aimed at getting the best for the pupils. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: they continue to raise standards at the end of key stage 1, especially for the most able pupils teachers enable pupils to consistently produce the same high-quality writing across all subjects.