The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You lead the school with integrity and a determination that every pupil must and will do well. Your evaluation of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement is accurate. You take swift and effective action to remedy any inconsistencies you find in the school’s work. Your collaborative approach to continually improving the school works well. You, with your staff, have created a positive atmosphere for learning. Staff who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire say they feel well supported in their work and are proud to be part of the school. Parents and carers are typically positive about the school. Those I spoke to during the inspection, praised the school’s caring and supportive approach to ensuring that pupils flourish at St Mary’s. Pupils exemplify the Christian values which you promote, especially that of friendship. Pupils are well behaved and polite. Those who join the school part way through a year or key stage feel welcomed and make friends quickly. Pupils enjoy school, as shown by their high attendance. They like learning and work hard. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain, for example during the inspection some pupils went to the local food bank to donate the harvest festival produce. Pupils participate well in a range of extra-curricular activities, including the popular ‘daily mile’ and clubs such as bridge club and dancing. Pupils relish the chance to show leadership skills, for example in the school council. Older pupils speak proudly of being part of a group of ‘restorative buddies’, who help any younger pupils who feel sad at play times. Pupils have a good understanding of equalities. They told me that everyone is different, and that we should ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. Teaching is generally well organised. Teachers plan learning which interests pupils in their work. Teachers ask probing questions which help pupils to think carefully about their learning and to deepen their understanding of subjects. Teaching assistants work hard and effectively to provide on-the-spot support for any pupil who needs extra help. Careful consideration of how to monitor pupils’ progress accurately and to increase levels of challenge for pupils has led to a rise in pupils’ attainment throughout the school. The early years is a particular strength of the school. Children settle quickly because teachers’ expectations for their learning and behaviour are clear. Children interact with each other and with adults confidently. Well-planned and interesting activities ensure that children are enthusiastic and excited to learn, and that they make good progress. The early years provision gives pupils a good foundation for learning as they move up the school. Governors support the work of the school very well. They have a clear understanding of how well the school is doing and of its areas for further improvement. Helpful visits are conducted to check the impact of teachers’ and leaders’ work. You have put processes in place which help governors to ask questions to challenge your thinking, although this area of their work needs some further development. During the inspection, it emerged that governors are not keeping a close enough oversight of some policies and procedures, including some relating to safeguarding. Changes were quickly put in place to improve leaders and governors’ monitoring and checking practices. At the last inspection, inspectors asked you to improve pupils’ progress in writing and strengthen the quality of guidance so that pupils know how to improve their work. You have achieved this and more. You have significantly raised pupils’ achievement throughout the school through the changes you have made to monitoring pupils’ progress. Rigorous progress discussions highlight any areas that pupils may be struggling with, so that expert help is provided quickly. As a result, pupils’ progress has improved. Last year, the proportion of pupils who achieved age-related expectations at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics was well above the national average. The proportion of pupils exceeding age-related expectations in reading and mathematics was also above the national average. Disadvantaged pupils achieved in line with other pupils nationally. Despite the improvements you have achieved, you have accurately identified that some aspects of the school’s work could be further refined. You are rightly reexamining the quality of teaching and the curriculum in mathematics to make sure that pupils develop secure reasoning and problem-solving skills. You are also starting to explore the wider curriculum you offer to ensure that pupils develop thorough subject-specific knowledge in subjects other than English and mathematics. Safeguarding is effective.