The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You arrived at the school in April 2015. Prior to this, the school had been through a period of turbulence. Since your arrival, you have correctly identified the key areas for improvement within the school and acted decisively, taking effective measures to address them. You have created a new leadership structure within the school and appointed new leaders and teachers. Together you are implementing positive and effective change. Reading is one area where progress and attainment for pupils currently at the school is improving. Where key groups of pupils still have ground to make up, you have clear plans in place to speed up their progress further. Leaders have established a strong reading culture at the school. Opportunities to develop and apply reading skills extend across a range of curriculum subjects and are embedded in a significant number of displays throughout the school. By improving reading resources, leaders have ensured that all pupils have the opportunity to read highquality texts across a range of genres. Pupils read both for pleasure and for learning. As a result they are immersed in reading on a daily basis. The previous inspection report recommended that leaders improve the quality of teaching by increasing the level of challenge, especially for the most able. Since your arrival, you have set up systems which allow you to measure the progress that different groups of pupils are making in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders have carried out observations in lessons focused on ensuring that all pupils receive the appropriate level of challenge, which promotes good progress. Since your appointment there has been greater stability in the teaching team. Consequently, leaders are able to have a greater impact on improving the quality of teaching over time. The areas for improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection are being addressed. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. There is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Leaders have ensured that all members of staff and governors are regularly trained in different aspects of safeguarding. A number of leaders and staff members within the school have completed higher-level safeguarding training. This supports the work of the designated safeguarding lead and adds additional capacity to the school’s ability to respond to safeguarding concerns. Leaders work together with the local authority to check that safeguarding systems used by the school are effective. Members of staff know exactly how to respond and report safeguarding concerns at a school level and to external agencies. Their knowledge around aspects of safeguarding such as female genital mutilation is robust. They articulate a clear message that everybody in the school is responsible for safeguarding. Pupils understand how to keep safe online and are consistent across year groups in reporting how safe they feel at school as a result of the strong pastoral care offered by staff. The designated governor for safeguarding is proactive in overseeing what the school does for its vulnerable pupils and in ensuring that safeguarding continues to be effective. Following a visit to the school, notes compiled by the safeguarding governor provided a clear account of information gathered and areas for future focus. Inspection findings In 2016, the proportion of boys reaching the expected standards in reading by the end of key stage 2 was lower than that of girls. Similarly, those who are disadvantaged did not do as well as others nationally in this subject. Leaders correctly identified that standards in reading at key stage 2 needed to improve for boys and those who are disadvantaged. With the support of a specialist leader of education, leaders introduced new strategies for the teaching of reading across the school. In September 2016 you appointed a new English subject leader who along with other members of the senior leadership team is ensuring that these new strategies are implemented successfully and bringing about rapid improvements. Leaders must be commended on the reading culture established at the school. The opportunity to develop and apply reading skills is consistent across a range of subjects. Displays around the school celebrate achievement and promote ageappropriate reading. The improved range of reading resources available to all pupils provide regular opportunities to read for pleasure. High-quality, challenging texts across different genres engage as well as motivate boys and disadvantaged pupils in reading. When listening to pupils from these groups read it is evident that they take on a challenging text with a variety of strategies at their disposal and have a desire to succeed. This is underpinned by a fundamental enjoyment of reading. Evidence in pupil reading albums demonstrates the rapid progress boys and disadvantaged pupils have made during the current academic year. Assessment information shows that these groups are beginning to catch up. The pupil premium grant is used effectively by leaders to support reading for disadvantaged pupils currently at the school. Support provided by additional adults in reading is having a positive impact on accelerating progress in the majority of cases. Leaders invested in training to make staff effective in the teaching of reading. Priority was also given to enriching the range of reading resources available to pupils. Leaders’ actions were prompt and effective. Leaders have a sharp focus and strong commitment to realising improved outcomes in reading for boys and those who are disadvantaged. Leaders have established systems to monitor persistent absence levels across the school. They are robust in tackling persistent absence for those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They actively engage with families and external agencies. As a result, there has been a reduction in persistent absence for this group of pupils currently at the school. Systems to monitor persistent absence for other groups of pupils need to be embedded further. Persistent absence levels for pupils currently at the school remain high in some key groups. Timely, detailed reporting to governors on attendance for all groups is required. This will enable governors to be more focused in the way they challenge senior leaders on reducing persistent absence levels. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: persistent absence is reduced further by embedding systems which enable governors to hold leaders to account for the attendance levels of different groups of pupils boys, particularly those who are disadvantaged, continue to catch up with girls in reading across year groups.