The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You, together with governors, have overcome the challenges presented by staff and leadership changes. You strive for continuous improvement. You use examples of best practice in other schools well to inform your decisions about any changes you make to the curriculum. You ensure that staff feel well supported. You enable them to improve their teaching and develop their leadership skills. You and other leaders recognise areas for further improvement and you work systematically towards achieving the school‟s main priorities. Your school is a purposeful place where pupils‟ social, academic and personal achievements are promoted and valued. The pupils I spoke to during my visit were keen to tell me about the awards they receive for demonstrating key „learning characteristics‟. They like to do well. They strive to present their work neatly in order to gain a „pen licence‟. Those who receive extra support in their learning say it helps them to improve. The most able pupils enjoy the „great‟, „awesome‟ and „epic‟ levels of challenge to help them to achieve the best they can. At the time of the previous inspection, leaders were asked to ensure that pupils have opportunities to develop their writing and mathematical skills in other subjects. You have addressed this well. Attractive displays provide good examples of pupils‟ writing for a range of purposes in subjects such as history. One display I saw encouraged pupils to use mathematics in relation to their learning about Islamic art. Pupils showed me examples in their books of writing and mathematics being used well in science. Pupils say they enjoy their learning. This view is supported by parents and carers, whose response to the school‟s work is overwhelmingly positive. This comment typifies the many received during the inspection: „Our children are engaged in learning, particularly through “wow days” and interesting content. The school has developed a love of learning with our children, drawing on their interests.‟ Your analysis of the standards reached in phonics by pupils in Year 1 has led to an overhaul of teaching methods. You have purchased new resources and provided staff with relevant training. You and other leaders insist upon the consistent and regular teaching of phonics. You make good use of all staff to ensure that pupils work at levels that are well matched to their ability. Pupils‟ progress is checked regularly. Your information shows that standards in Year 1 are now rising. However, boys do not yet achieve as well as girls. You and senior leaders recognise where there are differences in performance between groups of pupils. For example, you know that some boys do not reach the expected attainment in reading and writing by the end of the early years. This has led to a review of the curriculum to ensure that boys are motivated to read and write. Interesting topics, such as learning about dinosaurs, inspire children. In key stage 1, pupils read and write about local heroes and famous sports personalities. These subjects interest pupils and help them to make strong progress. You and other leaders have evaluated the curriculum and the way staff assess pupils‟ work. This led to marked improvement in pupils‟ attainment by the end of Year 6 in 2017. You are determined that all groups of pupils make strong progress and you recognise that some pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are capable of doing even better. You provide a range of ways to help pupils to catch up and to achieve well. You and subject leaders ensure that teachers teach reasoning and mastery in mathematics. A new approach to the teaching of writing ensures that pupils use what they know about punctuation and grammar and formulate their ideas before they write. In reading, you have increased the focus on vocabulary and higher-level skills, such as inference. When I listened to pupils read, they showed me the targets they are working towards. They said that they read frequently and are helped to improve. Pupils like the choice of books, which are well matched to their abilities. You have introduced greater challenge for lower-attaining pupils and those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities to enable them to achieve more highly. Pupils with complex needs receive good support to help their personal, social and emotional development. Recent changes have led to more precise goals for pupils to work towards. Some pupils now show greater independence than previously in tackling their work without over-reliance on adult support. These are positive improvements. However, it is too early to see the impact on the overall progress made by pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. All leaders check the quality of teaching in various ways. They make the most of good communication between staff to try out new ideas and evaluate the impact of teaching on learning. They enable less experienced members of staff to work with those who have greater expertise. You hold regular meetings with staff about pupils‟ progress and you expect staff to fully understand how well pupils in their classes achieve. However, there is room for greater rigour to ensure consistency is maintained, particularly in how well staff help pupils to know what they are working towards in lessons. Safeguarding is effective. You, together with governors, make sure that safeguarding procedures and safety measures are fit for purpose. You provide staff with regular training and ensure that they know what to do if they have worries about pupils‟ safety. You expect that the safety of pupils is the responsibility of all staff. The vetting procedures for adults who work with pupils are thorough. Relevant information is well organised and maintained. You and your designated leaders use systems effectively to collate and record any concerns that arise over pupils‟ welfare and behaviour. You show perseverance in reaching positive outcomes. You work well with external agencies and have good relationships with families. This means that any child protection concerns are dealt with promptly. Learning in lessons and during assemblies helps pupils to understand how to stay safe. The school uses resources from outside agencies, such as the NSPCC, to provide further guidance. There are regular e-safety and anti-bullying weeks to promote the understanding of pupils and parents. Pupils say they feel safe and parents agree. When I asked pupils about bullying, they said it is not an issue in their school. They know the different forms that bullying may take, including the potential hazards presented by the internet and social media. Pupils value the support they receive from staff and express confidence that any worries they have will be addressed. Inspection findings Leaders have rightly identified that improvement to the teaching of phonics is a main priority. Their actions are leading to consistently effective teaching and rising standards. Leaders recognise that further evaluation of the impact of teaching on boys‟ achievement in phonics is required.