You have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the inspection of the predecessor school. Pupils achieve well and leave St Andrew’s with standards in reading, writing and mathematics that typically exceed those seen nationally. You have found being part of the Learn Academies Trust (the trust) a wholly positive experience. You and the head of school have embraced the trust’s commitment to using the evidence from educational research to make teaching and learning more effective. Your leadership is reflective and ambitious. You have established a culture where staff value regular conversations about their teaching: what works well and what can be improved. Your school’s partnerships with others in the trust are also improving the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers regularly meet and share ideas with colleagues in the trust. They also benefit from access to high-quality external expertise from subject specialists. Improvements since the predecessor school was inspected include: more effective approaches to teaching reading and writing stronger support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) many more pupils now participating in competitive sports and events such as dance festivals a richer curriculum in areas such as music, food technology and outdoor education. The predecessor school was asked to improve its communications with parents and carers. The school now works very effectively with parents and the local community. You use digital technology to share information about school events, which vary from phonics workshops to sausage breakfasts. Parents value their local village school and attend these events enthusiastically. Parents shared their appreciation of the friendliness of all staff and the sense of ‘family’ that their children experience as pupils at St Andrew’s. Governors play an important role in sustaining the school’s successes. They are clear about their role and how it supports the trust board. They have a wide range of skills that help them fulfil their responsibilities. Governors visit the school regularly to monitor the implementation of the school development plan and to ensure that they have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance. However, the trust has not yet ensured that the school’s website has been improved and updated. Currently, it does not publish all of the required information. Addressing this issue is a priority for the trust. You are determined that the quality of education will continue to improve. Our visits to lessons and the scrutiny of pupils’ work provided many examples of how strong teaching is leading to good learning over time. However, we also identified that, at times, teaching does not fully engage the pupils’ interest. This happens when the tasks set offer insufficient challenge or when pupils are not well prepared for their work. Eradicating these weaknesses is another point for improvement. Pupils do enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum. They spoke with great enthusiasm about their learning in a range of subjects. However, the curriculum is not carefully planned to ensure that they develop knowledge and skills progressively as they move through the school. Designing and implementing a curriculum that addresses this issue is a final next step for the school. Safeguarding is effective. The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are fit for purpose. Staff are alert to signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. They know the procedures to follow if they have a concern or if a pupil discloses something to them. You and other senior staff with responsibility for safeguarding make sure that records are well kept and secure. You promptly seek the services of external agencies where this may be helpful to a child or their family. Pupils spoke to me knowledgeably about how to stay safe when they use modern technology. Teachers ensure that pupils learn about other aspects of safety such as stranger danger and how to cycle safely on the roads. For example, a large lorry visited the school to help pupils be aware of the ‘blind spots’ that make such vehicles hazardous for pedestrians and cyclists. Pupils told me that pupils get along well together and that there is no bullying. They said that adults in school are kind and will always listen and help them if they have any worries. They value and use the ‘worry monsters’ in their classrooms where they can share any concerns with their teachers. Inspection findings Senior leaders have been keen to get pupils reading regularly and with greater understanding. They considered carefully what educational research tells about successful approaches to teaching reading and encouraging pupils’ personal reading. Teaching now prioritises widening pupils’ vocabularies and, in guided reading sessions, showing them how writers use words, grammar and punctuation to affect the reader. In addition, they have established a new school library and ensured that pupils have time each day to read their own books and to have stories read to them. These strategies have been effective and pupils are reading more regularly. The proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in reading at the end of key stage 2 has increased over the last three years. There has been a similar increase in the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in writing. In 2018, all Year 6 pupils attained or exceeded the expected standard in writing. Strategies contributing to this improvement include: – teachers skilfully modelling writing and explaining the choices they make when writing – pupils writing every day – pupils building up lengthy pieces of writing over time, regularly revising and editing their written work. In the last three years, all Year 1 pupils have met the expected standard in the phonics screening check. These positive outcomes reflect the high priority the school gives to teaching phonics. Staff model the sounds letters make accurately and make learning fun. They check closely on pupils’ learning and ensure that any pupils who are struggling to blend or segment sounds promptly receive additional help. The curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Through its religious education teaching and other lessons, pupils learn to respect and value the richness and diversity of our society. Educational visits include trips to the Houses of Parliament and to different places of worship. Despite attending a small school, pupils at St Andrew’s enjoy a great range of sporting and other clubs. They compete tenaciously and enthusiastically in interschool competitions, reflecting their pride in representing the school they love. In addition, the school’s strategies to promote healthy lifestyles, for example ‘The Life Education Bus’, food, drug awareness sessions and sex and relationship education, further promote excellent personal development.