The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You and all staff have created a compelling sense of care and nurture for the whole school community. The high expectations you have set ensure that there is an uncompromising focus on achieving the very best for your pupils. You quite rightly do not shy away from dealing with issues and any underperformance is challenged determinedly. This has ensured that all staff are very clear about what is expected of them in order to secure good outcomes for all pupils. Both you and the substantive deputy headteacher are currently in co-headship roles to support a neighbouring school. This is initially for the autumn term; however, it may be extended for the remainder of this academic year. You are using this opportunity to further develop the leadership in this school by asking middle leaders to step up to more senior roles. They are positively rising to this challenge. Results have improved year on year, over time. In 2015, children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 attained in line with the national averages in all areas. In key stage 2, outcomes were above national levels for reading, writing and mathematics. In 2015, there was also an increase in the number of most-able pupils who did better than is expected nationally. Following the 2015 outcomes, you were mindful that standards in both early years and key stage 1 could be improved further. The unvalidated 2016 results show that in the early years, Year 1 phonics and key stage 1, children and pupils have achieved well. You and your deputy headteacher both have the full support of your staff at all levels. They work hard to be involved in all aspects of the school and are committed to what they do. For example, support staff are integral to the curriculum teams and help teachers lead curriculum subject areas. One staff member told me that they ‘feel very proud’ to work at the school. They like being a part of it because ‘the most important thing is that the children are happy and enjoy what they are doing; this helps them to learn better.’ Through your encouragement, support and approachability, staff feel inspired to do their very best for all pupils. Since the previous inspection, the curriculum has developed considerably. You have responded well to the recent national changes and have created a curriculum that is unique to the school and responds to the needs of pupils’ personal interests and experiences well. You have done this through careful thought and planning about what the pupils at Caldecote enjoy and are interested in. You and the staff are very well supported by the governing body. Governors convey an ethos of proactivity in all that they do. They have a good knowledge and understanding of the school and constantly have pupils at the centre of their work. As a result of this, governors are successful in holding leaders to account to secure good provision for all pupils, ensuring that they are ready for their next steps, moving to their secondary education. In the early years, the children settle in very quickly. Leaders work with the on-site pre-school effectively so that routines and clear expectations are established from the outset. This ensures that children feel safe and secure and are keen and eager to start to learn. Adults plan for children’s transition from the early years very carefully. They consider children’s different starting points and, as a result, children are well supported as they move into key stage 1. The curriculum in Year 1 at this early stage in the academic year is a balance of what the children experience in the early years, together with the addition of more formal approaches to classroom learning. The pupils showed that they were ready for this by demonstrating good language skills, confidence and independence in their work. For example, two boys were able to explain what they were learning about space, having retained facts from their previous work. They explained that ‘you have to wear a life suit when you visit space because you cannot breathe in space air,’ and ‘shooting stars are like comets and the world is made of granite.’ When asked how they knew these facts, they said they ‘want to be astronauts and explore Mars, so we need to remember everything we learned last week.’ Older pupils were very eager to talk to me and tell me about their ‘kind and terrific’ teachers. Pupils described their school as ‘fantastic’, ‘encouraging’ and ‘interactive’. They elaborated further by saying, ‘all grown-ups help us. We can try everything and it does not matter if we do not get it right. We have a go at all sorts of things and when we are stuck we get help and when we find it easy, we are helped to think about how to do even better.’ Pupils also spoke with pride about the money that they raise to support various charities such as WaterAid and, more recently, for people with dementia. Other pupils told me about the wide range of clubs and activities the school provides. Pupils enjoy taking part in their weekly singing sessions with a specialist teacher for music and they feel that this joins together everyone from different classes. They also talked about the responsibilities they have in school, for example, being voted in as a member of the school council, being a part of the eco group or being a ‘buddy’ to the younger children, so that ‘their playtimes are safe and fun.’ Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured that the safeguarding arrangements are up to date and fit for purpose, reflecting the needs of the school. Staff have a good awareness of the indicators of abuse or neglect and procedures to follow should they be concerned about a pupil’s safety and welfare. All staff and governors have completed safeguarding training, including training in the ‘Prevent’ duty. As a result, they talk with knowledge and awareness about issues that are pertinent to keeping pupils safe locally and in the wider world. The designated lead staff also have responsibility for recruitment and safeguarding. They regularly complete training at the appropriate level and this includes wider aspects, such as equality and diversity. The school site is safe and secure. This is overseen by governors who routinely join leaders for a health and safety walk around the site. The identity of visitors is closely checked. The rigour in these processes such as, for example, your frequent self-audits to ensure that no process or action is left unchecked, ensures that children are kept free from harm and any risk is minimised. Pupils that I met during the inspection, both in meetings and while visiting the classrooms, were unanimous in their view that they were very happy at school. They said that they felt safe because the adults care about them and look after them well. They are aware of the different forms of bullying and the upset that it can cause. They told me insistently that bullying is rare, but if there are any problems between pupils that cannot be sorted out between them, staff soon deal with them in a fair way. Pupils have a secure understanding of how to keep themselves safe when they use technology. This is because the curriculum for all pupils includes an emphasis on staying safe when on the internet. Inspection findings You lead with assertive confidence and have an accurate, perceptive insight into how the school will improve. You and your interim co-headteacher are providing strong and effective leadership. Self-evaluation is mostly accurate and realistic. You both have a clear understanding of what your school does well and what it needs to do to improve further. The areas you have identified to focus on during this academic year have been confirmed during my inspection.