The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. Your capable leadership and committed governance have injected an infectious energy into school improvement and many aspects of the school’s work have strengthened. Academic standards, which dipped for a while, have now risen. Attendance rates have increased, and good behaviour is recognised and rewarded. Pupils, staff, governors and parents report that everyone is treated fairly and with respect. Parents say that you and the staff are very approachable and take a keen interest in pupils’ lives and families. In turn, pupils know that the school helps them to make the most of their abilities and opportunities. You have acted upon the recommendations made by the previous inspection, which were about improving aspects of teaching and assessment. Teaching in all classes is effective and the curriculum is full of interesting subjects and activities. Subject leadership has strengthened and is now ready for a further phase of development. Currently, standards in writing and mathematics, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, are stronger than in reading. This is why raising standards in reading is an important next step for the school. You have very effective systems in place to support pupils, parents and staff. You make sure that their ideas, worries or questions are heard and responded to in constructive ways. Whether pupils arrive at school ready to learn or find it difficult to settle, you and the staff team make sure that everyone feels safe, included and cared for. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Staff safeguarding training is up to date and all staff are alert to any warning signs that indicate that a pupil may be at risk or worried about something. Staff are quick to act on concerns and work with other professional services to support families and keep pupils safe. All the proper employment checks on staff are carried out and recorded correctly. Unexplained pupil absences are followed up promptly and leaders analyse attendance records to check for any patterns. The school site is well maintained, kept tidy and secure. Access into the building is controlled and there are efficient routines for responding to playground accidents and rehearsing emergency procedures. Medicines in school are stored correctly and pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in different situations. Inspection findings Children’s starting points on entry to school vary quite considerably, but many start with a level of knowledge and skill below that typical for their age. Good communication with parents and nurseries helps the early years team to make informed assessments about what the children know, and staff use this information to plan interesting lessons that meet their needs. Furthermore, all staff are quick to seize upon opportunities to build up children’s confidence and develop their communication skills. For instance, there is a well-organised and systematic approach to the teaching of early reading. Daily phonics sessions are brisk, good-humoured, purposeful and effective. Staff speak kindly to children and, through their words and actions, they promote and reinforce positive behaviours. Indeed, to help the children understand what positive learning behaviour looks like, staff have devised child-friendly fictional characters to represent features of effective learning. Peter Pug, for example, rewards children who have persevered at a task while Iggy Iguana is used to congratulate children who have brought imagination to their work and play. Children settle in quickly because they feel encouraged, safe and secure. This constructive start in the early years sets children up well for learning in the rest of the school. Throughout key stages 1 and 2, pupils benefit from lively and imaginative teaching that enables them to build further on their previous learning. In all classes, pupils enjoy their lessons and learn a lot. That said, following the previous inspection, the quality of teaching slipped and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics declined. More recently, this decline has been reversed and attainment has risen. In fact, in 2018 attainment in writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 was above national figures.