The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You lead and support your enthusiastic team with a clear sense of purpose to provide a safe and happy learning environment for all pupils. Pupils’ welfare is at the centre of all decisions and you make sure that pupils engage in a wide range of learning opportunities. Pupils described how you encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyles by providing them with regular physical activities and the chance to take part in numerous competitive sporting events. All of the staff members who responded to the staff questionnaire said that they are proud to work at the school. They told me that you care for their well-being and they feel respected by you, the school governors and the local community. You have led the school effectively through a time of staff changes while the head of school is recovering from long-term illness. The federation’s school improvement leader, who has regularly stepped in to lead the school on a day-to-day basis, has given you excellent support through this challenging time. Together, you have ensured the smooth running of the school and the continued focus on raising standards as described in your plans for improvement. School governors provide the right balance of support and challenge to school leaders. They have a good understanding of the performance of different groups of pupils and are aware of school strengths and areas for improvement. The school listens to and works closely with parents and carers. Parents who spoke with me during the inspection, and those who responded online, were all extremely positive about the broad range of activities provided by the school. One parent stated, ‘The school offers a huge array of extra-curricular activity.’ Another parent described how her child is supported to be her own person and encouraged to try ‘all sorts of activities’. Parents also described the school’s ‘personal caring touch’ and ‘an intense focus on learning’. At the previous inspection, school leaders were asked to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the early years and to ensure that teachers moved pupils on more quickly once they mastered what they were learning. These aspects formed the focus for this inspection and are described in the next section of this letter. You were also asked to check that pupils understand how to improve their work in light of the feedback given to them by their teachers and to keep parents better informed about their children’s progress. Since the previous inspection, school leaders have encouraged pupils of all abilities to become more responsible for monitoring their own academic progress. Pupils described, in detail, how their teachers take time to work with them individually, or in small groups, to tackle any misconceptions. During the inspection, all pupils in a mixed-age class worked enthusiastically through a series of progressively difficult mathematics challenges. One pupil told me that she had struggled at the start of the lesson to understand the algebraic ‘nth term’. The teacher had noticed her puzzled look and gave her individual support. The pupil asserted, ‘Now, it is crystal clear!’ Parents are pleased with the information that they receive about their children’s progress and the useful links on the school website to sites and resources that support learning at home. Leaders have identified the need to ensure that a higher proportion of pupils achieve the higher standards in mathematics in key stage 2. Current pupils are expected to tackle increasingly challenging tasks in the subject in all classes. Leaders are determined that this heightened challenge will lead to stronger pupil outcomes. Leaders are also aware of the need to ensure that no pupils are disadvantaged due to persistent absence. Safeguarding is effective. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Training records are up to date and appropriate checks are made of staff before they start employment. The governor with responsibility for safeguarding helps to ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Parents overwhelmingly agree that their children are safe and that leaders act quickly to address any concerns. Pupils know how to stay safe in school, in the community and when online. They said that bullying is extremely rare and this was further verified by the positive pupil and parent responses to the online questionnaires. Pupils described the effective training given by teachers to help them remain safe when using social media or computer games. All parents who spoke with me during the inspection said that their children are happy and safe at your school.