The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment in September 2017, you have continued the good improvement work carried out by the local authority. You have addressed head-on the long-standing issues you inherited. For example, prior to your appointment, there had been several temporary headteachers as a result of recruitment difficulties. With the support of the Kyra Teaching School Alliance and the local authority, you have established a united team of staff and managed necessary improvements well. Bucknall Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. It is a welcoming, friendly environment where staff work closely together. You and your team have ensured that pupils are well cared for and enjoy their learning. As a result, pupils are happy and parents and carers are supportive. Parents speak highly of the care and quality of education their children receive. As one parent commented: ‘My children feel safe and secure at this school. They are able to express themselves freely and without judgement. I could not be happier with their education and development.’ Staff have created a positive, nurturing environment for learning through calm, well-lit spaces and stimulating displays. Relationships between adults and pupils are good. As a result, pupils enjoy coming to school. They are respectful, pay close attention in class and behave very well. Consequently, pupils are enthusiastic and aspirational learners. For example, one pupil told me, ‘I love art lessons. My dream job is to be an artist.’ Another pupil told me about her recent science lesson investigating electrical conductors and insulators. She explained that learning about science was important because she wanted ‘more than anything, to be a doctor’. Since your appointment as executive headteacher, you have quickly got to know the strengths and areas to develop within the school. You have worked successfully with the local authority to develop clear strategic plans for what is required to shape and drive the future of the school. The school’s self-evaluation accurately informs policies, actions and staff training. The governing body provides you with effective support and challenge. Governors are knowledgeable and regularly check the actions taken by leaders to secure improvements. Governors have benefited from highly effective training from a national leader of governance and, as a result, fulfil their strategic role well. Governors have a particular focus on pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and on disadvantaged pupils. They understand their responsibility to ensure that funding for these pupils is used effectively. School leaders have dealt effectively with the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Teachers plan mathematics lessons that challenge and extend pupils’ learning. Pupils say that they understand what they are learning and teachers provide them with precise steps to be successful in their learning. Improved teaching strategies have ensured that pupils are more consistently challenged in mathematics, although you acknowledge that this can be improved even further for some pupils. Safeguarding is effective. School leaders have ensured that there is a good culture of safeguarding within the school. Staff and governors keep up to date with training. They know what to do to keep pupils safe. You and the family support worker work well with families and refer concerns in a timely manner. Staff are vigilant and are prepared to take decisive and prompt action, when needed, to secure pupils’ well-being. Leaders have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Pupils are happy and safe in school. They say that poor behaviour and bullying are very rare but, when they do occur, staff resolve issues promptly. Pupils feel well cared for by staff in school. They are taught about potential risks and how to stay safe in different situations. These include how to use the internet safely and the danger from strangers.