You, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, have created a culture of high expectations of pupils’ achievements. Consequently, your leadership has engendered a strong bond between staff who continually seek ways to improve the education pupils receive at the school. The vast majority of staff feel valued and well supported to develop professionally because you are adept at identifying talent and enabling staff to flourish. As a result, the leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You are ambitious for all pupils and students to exceed expected progress in every year group and in each subject. Assessment systems are used effectively to track the progress that pupils make, including those pupils who are disadvantaged. This helps you to identify dips in pupils’ progress or in subject areas. For instance, you know that still more work needs to be done to help pupils make the same rapid progress in mathematics as they do in English. Nearly all pupils exceed expected progress from their various starting points. Progress in English is particularly strong throughout key stages 3 and 4. A very small number of pupils make less than expected progress, more commonly in mathematics. Because of the strong progress pupils make, they are able to access an increasing range of accreditation, and in some subjects, such as science and art, standards are rising year on year. Additionally, you have ensured that teachers’ judgements on how well pupils are doing are validated through external moderation. You recognise that the way in which key stage 5 students’ progress is tracked needs refining so that you are assured that they too are making sufficient progress, to build strongly, and improve upon, their key stage 4 accreditations. The school makes a dramatic difference to pupils’ personal development and behaviour from the time they start in the youngest classes to when they leave at the end of their time in college. You provide extremely well for pupils’ welfare and safety. The school enables pupils to access learning and achieve within a safe environment so that they blossom into young adults who are better equipped to face the challenges that life may bring. During their time at your school, pupils quickly develop skills for life that help to prepare them for their onward journey, especially through access to college which helps students to mature as young adults and take increased responsibility for themselves. Staff supporting students in key stage 5 gradually withdraw their support to allow students to achieve more and more on their own. Students respond to this challenge with pride. You and your staff have worked diligently to meet the recommendations given to the school at the time of the previous inspection. There has been a considerable improvement in the quality of teaching since the last inspection so that it is now consistently good throughout the school. This is because you rigorously monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching, and support all adults to improve their practice. You have provided high-quality training to improve staff’s skills. Supported by governors, you have taken the actions necessary to secure stronger teaching so that pupils’ achievement and their access to a range of subjects continue to rise. Post-16 students are taught by college staff. You are not in a position to monitor the teaching of college staff but you keep a close eye on how well students achieve at college. This, together with the feedback from your own staff who support these students, gives you an overview of students’ progress. However, you do not have as much detailed information on students’ progress as you would like so that you can be sure that students in key stage 5 are building securely on their previous accreditations. Governors now make a substantial contribution to the school’s capacity to improve further. You describe the governing body as ‘transformed’. Governors challenge leaders and ask searching questions of them to make sure that they are continually seeking ways to make the school even better. Governors make themselves available to hear the opinions of staff, pupils and parents because their opinions matter to them. It is noteworthy that governors share your high expectations for pupils and engage in activities that help them to find out for themselves how well pupils are achieving both academically and in terms of their personal development, behaviour and welfare. Governors undertake training to ensure that they can carry out their responsibilities well, particularly in relation to safeguarding. Furthermore, governors are attentive to your well-being, as they are for the pupils in their care.