The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You, other leaders and the governors recognise that the school is on a journey and are resolute in bringing about further improvements. In the short time that you have been headteacher at Emerson Park Academy, you have established yourself firmly as the school’s leader and set out a clear vision for its future. Both staff and pupils welcome your high expectations and ambitious agenda for the school and its pupils. You have very quickly identified the school’s strengths and weaknesses and acted decisively to make changes that have an immediate impact. This is already having a very positive effect on the school’s climate and direction. You and your senior team have taken clear action to tackle the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. The achievement of disadvantaged pupils has recently improved so that differences between their progress and that of others nationally have diminished. While there is further work to be done to raise achievement and aspirations of disadvantaged pupils, especially those who are most able, there is a greater focus across the school on ensuring that pupils are given challenging work. You rightly identify the need to improve achievement in mathematics and science and have taken some important steps to make this happen. Changes have been made to the amount of time given to mathematics and science, and pupils are taught in smaller groups. In addition, you have appointed a number of new and experienced teachers to increase capacity in both subjects. This work is already paying dividends. Pupils are being given challenging work and teaching approaches are helping them to deepen their understanding. Safeguarding is effective. The safety and welfare of pupils take a high priority and you are currently strengthening practice further. Staff work effectively to keep pupils safe and understand the school’s procedures well. Pupils understand whom to turn to if they need help or have any concerns. Leaders have established clear procedures for checking the suitability of staff, including support staff and volunteers. You and your colleagues are vigilant in ensuring that access to the building is tightly managed and that there are well-established routines when visitors arrive. Staff have a good awareness of safeguarding protocols, including those to prevent radicalisation and extremism. This is because they are supported by clear policies and through regular training. It also means that pupils feel well supported. Those pupils spoken to agreed that they feel safe and well cared for in school. Leaders work well with outside agencies such the local authority’s social services and child protection teams. Records are generally kept well and referrals to the local authority are followed up tenaciously by the designated safeguarding lead. As a result, pupils and families with complex needs are catered for effectively. Inspection findings In a very short time, the headteacher has established a detailed understanding of the school’s strengths and key priorities for improvement. This has resulted in high expectations across the school, and leaders have robust plans for further improvement. There is a strong drive to improve that pervades all aspects of the school’s work. This drive and ambition have already had a positive impact. Staff, pupils and parents report that there is an improved atmosphere in the school and a culture that emphasises the importance of learning. Pupils say that changes have had a marked impact on their behaviour and attitudes to learning. They also note that the appointment of new staff has given the school ‘a new lease of life’. Leaders are currently working to strengthen the way they monitor the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Senior leaders are rightly introducing a new system that will give them a broad range of information on which to evaluate the impact of teaching on pupils’ achievements. Similarly, the way assessment information is collected and presented has been strengthened. The new system is less complex and provides helpful information that enables senior leaders, including governors, to ask pertinent questions. For example, an evaluation of the impact of support staff has resulted in changes to the way they are deployed.