The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. As a result of your strong and dedicated leadership the school has continued to thrive and prosper since it became an academy in 2013. You demonstrate a strong vision and moral purpose in your leadership of the school. This is exemplified in the way your five ‘Golden Rules’ are integral to every aspect of school life. These rules provide a clear framework and guidance for the good behaviour and mutual respect evident between all adults and pupils at Hurst Primary School. Parents and carers speak highly of the work of leaders and staff. They feel that their children are kept safe and are prepared well for the next stages of their education. Parents also appreciate the fact that you have ensured that their children come to a school with beautiful grounds and play spaces. Pupils clearly enjoy their learning and this is reflected in their good attendance overall. However, absence rates for disadvantaged pupils are too high and remain above the national average. The school provides a wide range of curriculum opportunities to support the holistic development of young children and pupils. You offer a wide range of sporting, musical and artistic activities. This supports pupils to develop into well-rounded individuals. You acted swiftly to address the 2016 dip in results. Your perceptive analysis ensured that leaders understood fully why pupils did not achieve the standards of which they were capable. Senior leaders quickly adapted existing practice and made significant changes to the teaching of phonics. In addition, senior leaders have put in place interventions to support the progress of disadvantaged pupils. This has led to this key group making rapid progress in their phonics skills. You have been committed to ensuring high-quality teaching and have been successful in this goal. As a result, the majority of pupils make good progress from their different starting points. However, in writing, pupils’ progress is not consistently strong. This is particularly the case in key stage 1 for pupils who have low prior attainment at the end of the early years. You have recruited strong and ambitious senior and middle leaders to support your work to maintain pupils’ good standard of education. You have the full confidence of an experienced, skilled and highly effective governing body who greatly value your contribution to the life of this community. As you prepare for retirement, you have also ensured that the leadership of the school is in highly capable hands. Succession planning has been a key focus. Consequently, your deputy and senior leaders have the necessary skills and experience to ensure that the school continues to provide a good standard of education. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders have made sure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding within the school. Pupils say that they feel safe. They are aware of e-safety and know how to keep themselves safe online. A small number of parents expressed concern about how the school tackles bullying. A review of incident records showed that the school takes great time and effort to resolve any problems quickly. The school takes concerns very seriously. Staff act promptly recording all actions thoroughly. All parents surveyed said they would recommend this school. Leaders have effective systems to monitor playtimes and share information with midday supervisors on a daily basis. As a result, staff and parents are clear about what to do if they have a concern. The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements and records are detailed and regularly updated to a high standard. The single central record of checks determining the suitability of adults to work with children is kept up to date and is compliant with statutory requirements. The safeguarding policy on the school website is continually reviewed and updated and is bespoke to this school. This gives clear and useful information to staff and parents alike about what to do if they have any concerns. Governors are well informed about safeguarding issues and play an effective role in monitoring all aspects of leaders’ work in this crucial area. The chair of the governing body regularly checks the single central record. Staff and governors undertake frequent safeguarding training on a wide range of issues, including radicalisation and the risks around child sexual exploitation and grooming. Inspection findings Senior and middle leaders have focused on maintaining high-quality teaching across the school. Teachers are well supported by all leaders and ensure that they are effective in the classroom. They plan and assess work collaboratively in order to share best practice.