The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your recent appointment as headteacher in September 2017, you have quickly pinpointed the school’s strengths and weaknesses. You have identified the correct priorities for improvement accurately. You have a clear vision for pupils and want them to achieve their full potential and be happy and motivated. Your vision is shared by staff, governors and pupils. The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection. Pupils make good progress and enjoy learning. The school is a vibrant and welcoming community. The school’s motto, ‘Only my best is good enough for me’, is at the heart of everyone’s work. All of the staff who responded to the online survey say that they are proud to work in the school and feel well supported. One teacher commented: ‘The school is like a community. Everyone cares and wants the best.’ Pupils are polite and well mannered. They say that they love coming to school, and this is shown by their above-average attendance. A typical comment from pupils is that ‘Everyone is kind and our teachers are friendly and approachable.’ Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. All the parents that I spoke to were very positive about the school. As one parent commented: ‘Education here is top notch. My child is settled and happy.’ Governors are passionate about the school and visit the school regularly to see its work for themselves. One governor commented: ‘Pupils enjoy themselves and look after each other.’ Governors provide good support and challenge to leaders. They have a clear idea of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. You appreciate the support and challenge of governors and the local authority adviser. At the previous inspection, the inspectors asked you to ensure that pupils made faster progress in their reading and writing. Since the last inspection, leaders have given reading and writing a higher profile across the school. Pupils enjoy reading and writing activities. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading at the end of key stage 1 was above the national average in 2016 and is still high in 2017. The unvalidated overall progress score for reading at the end of key stage 2 in 2017 is higher than the national score and represents a significant improvement on last year. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in writing was above the national average at the end of key stages 1 and 2 in 2016 and is still high in 2017. You are determined to improve the standards that disadvantaged pupils reach in reading and writing in key stage 1. Safeguarding is effective. There is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe in school. Leaders have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records are detailed and of high quality. There are comprehensive procedures in place for the recruitment and selection of staff. Appropriate training ensures that staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding. This means that they are all well placed to spot any signs or symptoms of potential risk or abuse. Governors regularly check that the school’s safeguarding procedures are up to date. Links with external agencies are strong, including those with the local authority. Pupils at the school feel safe. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that they know whom they can turn to if they have concerns. The overwhelming majority of parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, feel that their children are safe and well cared for. Inspection findings The inspection focused on a number of key lines of enquiry, the first of which related to the areas from the last inspection. You have focused on ensuring that pupils make the best possible progress in reading and writing. Pupils’ progress in reading at the end of key stage 2 in 2016 was below the national average. Leaders have introduced a range of initiatives to improve pupils’ progress. For example, there is a whole-school focus on exploring texts to make deductions and infer meaning. During guided-reading sessions, teachers and other adults help pupils to improve their comprehension skills. Pupils who read to me used their knowledge of phonics accurately and could explain clearly what they were reading about. You celebrate reading by holding a book week and giving out awards for reading. Current assessment information shows that attainment and progress in reading in key stage 2 have improved on last year. Leaders have strengthened the moderation of pupils’ work. The work in pupils’ books shows that pupils develop their ideas more fully and write at length. The unvalidated overall progress scores for reading and writing in 2017 are above the national scores.