The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have a strong vision for the school and improving the life chances for the pupils is central to the school ethos. Leaders, including governors, are aware of the strengths and challenges for the school including the need to improve outcomes for the most able at key stage 2. In addition, recently, outcomes in key stage 1 have not compared well to similar schools nationally. The governing body challenges leaders well. It also ensures that governors have the skills to support leaders in managing the school. Governors regularly conduct themed classroom visits, based on the school’s development plan. Recently they looked at how well pupils had reacted to your emphasis on growth mindsets. Through classroom visits and talking to pupils, they found that the majority of pupils have gained resilience and have better strategies for approaching new challenges. Leaders regularly examine the work in pupils’ books. ‘Manager day’ is timetabled fortnightly, a time where middle leaders monitor the quality of teaching and learning within their subjects and phases. Through this process leaders have identified clear areas for improvement. The emphasis on reading and writing in key stage 2 has had a positive effect on pupils’ progress in their communication skills. Through appropriate challenge and support, leaders encourage all stakeholders to improve outcomes. In pupils’ books, handwriting improved because of teachers’ high expectations. Pupils strive to gain their pen licences, where they move from writing with a pencil to a pen. Internal pupil information indicates that current Year 2 pupils’ attainment in reading and writing has improved and is now in line with their peers nationally. Pupils, when discussing their work, demonstrated the skills necessary to infer meaning. They used context and word derivation to work out the meanings of new words. For instance, pupils used their knowledge of ‘duel’ to appreciate that ‘duet’ and ‘duo’ refer to the number two. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Leaders have created a culture of safeguarding at the school and are tenacious in ensuring the safety of pupils. Leaders, including governors, understand the context of the school and the safeguarding needs of the local community. Safeguarding documents are well managed, and senior leaders and governors check records frequently. Pupils are kept safe. They told me that they are taught how to stay safe online, and that they feel safe around the school and on school trips. When they have an issue, they know who to talk to. They also told me that they have learned to respect other cultures. Inspection findings At our initial meeting we agreed on two lines of enquiry. The first was based on the school curriculum. This was chosen because leaders have placed a significant emphasis on improving the ‘daily diet’ for pupils across the school. Leaders understand that only a continually evolving school curriculum can prepare pupils for the next stage in their education. Recently, this emphasis on improving pupils’ skills and knowledge has seen improvements in the wider curriculum. The development of teamwork and resilience through an emphasis on a growth mindset is evident across the school. For example, pupils told me that they have improved their teamwork skills. These skills were seen in lessons when pupils took on roles within projects and learned to negotiate. Leaders’ intention to deepen the curriculum offer includes a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities week. Leaders value parental engagement. Parents are invited to attend, and they engage with their children in unfamiliar activities. For example, parents and pupils built large model roller coasters and both groups benefited from working collaboratively. In classrooms, pupils took part in a range of activities linked to STEM week. Key stage 2 pupils designed a theme park. This enthused and engaged pupils in their mathematical and science curriculum. Within these lessons there were in-depth discussions using high-quality scientific language. For example, pupils discussed the properties of materials and what would be suitable to use in the construction of a theme park. The STEM activities included designing promotional materials in which Year 6 pupils engaged well. They were inspired to use persuasive language to promote their theme park. Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of their education.