The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You and your leaders form a strong unit and are aspirational for the school and your pupils. The school went through a turbulent time last year, with repeated strike action over academisation plans causing unrest within the school community. Leaders and staff are now working well together to ensure that the pupils are at the heart of what they do. As one member of staff said: ‘We’re back to our core business.’ Leaders at all levels have clearly designated roles and are clear about the next steps for developing the school. Governors are committed to the school. They have a good overview of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and provide support and challenge to school leaders. Areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection have been addressed, although leaders continue to work on challenge for the most able pupils. Maintaining a high standard of teaching and learning across the school is an ongoing focus for leaders. Links with other schools give staff opportunities to share ideas and observe strong practice. This support and a focused programme of staff training are helping to further develop the quality of teaching and learning across the school. The school is highly inclusive. Pupils from a wide range of backgrounds work and play together well. Children get off to a good start in early years, with a high proportion achieving a good level of development. Key stage 1 attainment in reading, mathematics and writing is consistently in line with or above national averages. By the end of key stage 2, pupils’ overall progress in reading and mathematics is significantly above the national average. Pupils enjoy their learning and are proud to show off their work. The newly introduced ‘learning tools’ are helping pupils to think more carefully about their work and how to deal with challenges. Safeguarding is effective. The school has a dedicated safeguarding team, who use their expertise to ensure that arrangements for pupils’ safety and welfare are secure. Staff training is up to date and contextualised for the school. As a result, members of staff are fully aware of their responsibilities and follow school procedures if they have any concerns. Leaders chase up any referrals relentlessly to ensure that pupils and families get the appropriate support. Records are detailed and well maintained; they show that leaders take prompt and effective action. Pre-recruitment checks are completed in line with statutory requirements. Pupils feel safe at school. They say that staff deal with any incidents of fighting or bullying quickly. As one pupil said: ‘If you want to talk about something, there is always a teacher or special person to help you.’ Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe outside of school and online. They talked confidently about dealing with cyber bullying, for example, through ‘Stop, block, tell.’ Parents and carers do not express any concerns about their children’s safety at school. Inspection findings Our first key line of enquiry focused on leaders’ actions to sustain the improvements in key stage 2 progress and attainment. In 2017, attainment was well below national averages. In 2018, attainment improved considerably in reading, writing and mathematics, with pupils making strong progress. Leaders did a thorough analysis of the 2017 outcomes and identified where mistakes had been made. They took immediate action to improve outcomes, not just in Year 6 but across the school. This change in approach made improving key stage 2 outcomes a responsibility for the whole staff. Leaders raised expectations of what pupils could achieve and held staff rigorously to account. Pupils identified as underachieving from ongoing teacher assessment and pupil progress meetings have focused additional support. Leaders review this regularly to make sure that the provision is adapted to meet pupils’ needs. However, the most able pupils are not extended enough in lessons, particularly in reading and writing. Leaders and staff are determined that pupils’ outcomes will continue to improve. Current assessment information supports this. Staff appraisal is seen by teachers as a means of support and development. Leaders and teachers show the capacity to maintain the improvements made in 2018. The development of reading is a whole-school priority. For the second key line of enquiry, we agreed to look at how leaders and staff ensure that pupils make strong progress in reading from an early age.