The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection. You are supported by a team of strong leaders who have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The actions you have taken to address areas for improvement are having a strong impact on pupils’ outcomes. In 2017 and 2018, pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics in key stage 2 was significantly above the national average. Disadvantaged pupils made progress similar to other pupils nationally. Similarly, in key stage 1, an above-average proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, made good progress to meet the expected standards in those subjects. Leaders and governors have addressed effectively the areas for development identified in the previous inspection. Following the inspection, leaders commissioned an external review of governance through the local authority. Acting on the outcome of the review, governors have developed the skills to offer sharp and timely challenge to leaders. They now scrutinise in detail reports they receive from leaders, and they ensure that they regularly check the progress pupils are making across the school. Governors and leaders have deployed resources strategically to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are polite, courteous and confident. They behave sensibly in and out of lessons. Their behaviour contributes strongly to a highly positive learning environment. Pupils I spoke to talked about how they support each other in lessons and during playtimes. A very large majority of those who responded to Parent View and all the parents and carers to whom I spoke during the inspection would recommend this school. Typical of their comments was: ‘This is an excellent school where provision and teaching for pupils are of the highest standard. Children are always happy to attend and rejoice in all the curricular and extra-curricular activities the school offers.’ Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Leaders follow rigorous procedures to check the suitability of staff. Records relating to safeguarding are organised, up to date and fit for purpose. Leaders ensure that staff are vigilant and aware. They have sought training on issues which affect the local community. Most recently, these included staff training on identifying and reporting incidents of child grooming, sexualised behaviour among children and avoiding gangs and knife crimes. Leaders know their pupils and families well. They work effectively with external organisations to ensure that vulnerable families receive timely and appropriate support. Pupils feel safe at school. They benefit from a wide range of opportunities within the curriculum to keep themselves safe at school, at home and when online. They are adamant that bullying does not exist in this school. They are confident that, if it happens, teachers will address it promptly. Inspection findings During our initial discussion, we identified the performance of disadvantaged pupils in reading in key stage 2 as the first line of enquiry. These pupils made progress similar to other pupils nationally in the past two years. Overall, however, their attainment was below the national average because their progress from their lower starting points was not strong enough to reach the expected standard. Leaders responded quickly. Their analysis identified the need for pupils to develop their comprehension skills. To address this, they have developed their own system, which includes plenty of opportunities for pupils to learn, practise and consolidate reading skills. Teachers and teaching assistants have been trained to further develop their skills in the teaching of reading. They are now better prepared to support disadvantaged pupils. Additionally, working with governors, leaders have ensured that pupils have access to high-quality reading materials. Across the school, pupils show genuine pleasure when reading. They use a wide range of effective strategies to decode unfamiliar words. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, I heard read during this inspection did so fluently and expressively. They show well-developed inference and deduction skills. As a result, pupils make strong progress in reading. Current assessment information shows that there is now a higher proportion of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading than previously.