The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Over the last few years, the school has undergone a period of turbulence, including a two-term spell of interim headship. Since joining the school two years ago, you have determinedly focused on stemming the decline in standards. You rightly prioritised improvements in key stage 2, where results have been weakest. The changes implemented by you and your leaders are having a positive impact on many aspects of key stage 2. You are committed to making the school as good as it can be and recognise that in some areas there is more work needed. Leaders’ careful monitoring has identified that some aspects of teachers’ practice in key stage 1 are not effective enough. In 2017 and 2018, pupils’ key stage 1 scores were strong due to effective teaching, including the teaching of writing. These outcomes indicate that you have addressed the areas for development from your previous inspection report. However, in 2018, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the phonics reading check in Year 1 was too low. You have sensibly prioritised phonics in your most recent improvement plan and you are determined that this aspect of your work will improve. However, planned new approaches are embryonic. You have more work to do in order to ensure that the teaching of phonics is consistently effective. Improved teaching is leading to better outcomes in many areas. Early indications from the 2018 key stage 2 national tests show that progress in mathematics improved as a result of approaches introduced last academic year. More recently, you have focused on ensuring that pupils are sufficiently challenged in mathematics. The mathematics leader, who is also the deputy headteacher, has an accurate understanding of where this aspect of teachers’ practice is well developed and where it is less effective. You are putting additional measures in place, including training, to ensure that new approaches have a consistently positive impact. You and your governors do not believe in quick fixes. In the period since you became headteacher, you have focused on building sustainable improvements. Governors are keenly aware of how well new initiatives are progressing and make good use of evidence from a range of sources when holding school leaders to account. Of note is the way you have developed subject leadership and practice in assessment. Stronger subject leadership is also helping to develop practice in teaching across the school. Subject leaders have been candid about the need to develop their knowledge of key stage 1, as they have greater expertise in key stage 2. They are working alongside colleagues in your cluster of schools, and with local authority advisers, to do this. The approach to assessment that you have adopted has been carefully thought out and fine-tuned since the initial implementation. The approach focuses on measuring pupils’ progression through the curriculum. It enables you to identify pupils who are falling behind as well as to evaluate how well the topics chosen for study deliver progression. There is a local authority resource base for pupils who have visual impairment in the school. Pupils who have visual impairment are very well integrated into classes in the main school. The school makes good use of technology to assist children who have visual impairment in reading and writing. Children who have visual impairment told inspectors that they enjoy school and that they feel safe and looked after well. Bespoke support for pupils who have visual impairment is provided by a team of dedicated, specially trained assistants. There are approximately 13 learning support assistants in the school, in addition to the learning support assistants who are designated to work with pupils who have visual impairment. While some of these make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning and managing behaviour, including in early years, others do not. You have already identified this as an area for improvement in your current development plan. The school has an exceptionally positive ambience. A well-stocked library sits at the heart of the school in the main reception area. Pupils therefore pass through the library on a number of occasions throughout the school day and inspectors noted pupils browsing through books on several occasions. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the opportunities that their school provides. Parents and carers appreciate the support that teachers give their children. One, echoing the views of many, commented on Parent View, ‘This school really does nurture the whole child. Their achievements, no matter how small, are celebrated and the children feel incredibly valued as a result.’ Safeguarding is effective.