2.1.2 – Static front page not working

I’m doing an update to my blog and want to set a static front page. I’ve imported all the content from my existing blog into a dev version while I build the theme (based on Sandbox).

When I set a static front page, it just doesn’t work. Both the page representing the home page and the page for the blog render the same content on my dev site – the standard list of blog posts.

I’ve trawled the wp_options table looking for an option that seems to set this as well as ensuring my .htaccess is writable. All to no avail.

I’d really appreciate a prod in the right direction on this one.