The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Malborough primary school is a popular and friendly school which is well regarded in the community. Parents and families value the care, support and guidance that the school provides. From the early years to the end of Year 6, pupils are happy, feel safe and enjoy their education. Staff are hardworking and reflective, and are keen to learn from each other. Along with governors, you have worked hard to tackle the recommendations made at the previous inspection. Pupils’ attendance is rising and there have been marked improvements to the quality and variety of the outdoor environment, including in the early years. The school has a strong track record of preparing pupils for the demands of secondary school. Almost all pupils reach the standards expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave Malborough. Nevertheless, you have rightly identified that more pupils should be reaching higher standards throughout the school, particularly in view of the strong start that children receive in the early years. You are making the improvements needed to teaching and the curriculum to ensure that more pupils reach a greater depth in their learning. During this short inspection, I focused on a small number of key aspects of the school’s work. Firstly, we decided to look at how well the school challenges all pupils to achieve well, particularly the most able. Secondly, we agreed to evaluate the impact of actions to improve pupils’ attendance to school. Lastly, we considered the impact of the governing body in supporting and challenging the school. Safeguarding is effective. The school’s approach to safeguarding pupils is effective. Policy and procedures are clearly understood and closely followed. Training is regular and comprehensive, and leaders make sure that all staff, whatever their roles and responsibilities, are fully included. As a result, staff do not regard safeguarding as solely to do with preventing harm or the risk of harm to pupils. It speaks highly of the ethos and culture of the school that that the importance of safeguarding also includes promoting pupils’ health, welfare and well-being. There is a robust and detailed approach to recording concerns. This helps staff to identify where children may be vulnerable or at risk. Leaders and governors have ensured that important issues such as the dangers of radicalisation and extremism are appropriately interpreted in the school’s context. Leaders have responded quickly to issues such as the use of social media, making good use of external agencies to provide helpful advice to pupils and parents. Children have a good understanding of the risks associated with the internet and understand the importance of healthy and active lifestyles. Inspection findings You have rightly identified that teaching should provide all pupils, particularly the most able, with more challenge and greater depth in learning. You have introduced improvements to teaching to raise expectations and support staff in understanding how to deepen pupils’ learning. Pupils are responding well to this; they say they like being challenged, and always try to tackle the harder tasks or questions in class. Your focus on good-quality writing across the curriculum is also beginning to pay dividends. There are many examples of effective writing in English and in other subjects, such as science. Pupils are using their literacy skills to write in depth and at length across a range of genres. This reflects your emphasis on pupils showing how their learning is improving over time, using their ‘progress books’. These books also show how staff are developing their teaching, reflecting on what works and adapting their approaches accordingly. Likewise, a systematic approach to improving pupils’ spelling and grammar is proving effective, and is increasing pupils’ knowledge of subject-specific vocabulary, including in science. In mathematics, you have ensured a focus on improving pupils’ fluency and recall. This is helping to consolidate key skills in number and calculation, and is effective in identifying common errors and misconceptions and putting them right. You have rightly identified that this focus on fluency and recall should be matched by an emphasis on improving pupils’ problem-solving skills and deepening their understanding of mathematical concepts and ideas.