Clifton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The headteacher provides a clear sense of direction for the school. All staff share her vision for pupils to reach their full potential in their academic achievement and personal development.

Throughout their time in the early years, children develop a genuine eagerness to learn new things. They build positive relationships with one another and the adults around them and achieve well. Pupils across the range of abilities make good progress.

Many are making rapid progress in response to better quality teaching and additional support. The standards that pupils attain by the end of Year 6 reflect their good achievement. Teaching is typicall...y good across the school and some is outstanding.

Teachers plan well for the different abilities of individual pupils. Pupils' behaviour is good. Pupils mix and learn well together.

They show good attitudes to one another and their work. These qualities help to sustain pupils' good and improving learning. The school's work in keeping pupils safe and secure is good.

All pupils are treated equally and benefit from high-quality care. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is well developed. Visitors and trips bring learning to life.

Pupils engage enthusiastically in sports, music and dance. The headteacher has effectively led several whole-school changes. In a relatively short space of time, there have been significant improvements.

The staff's relationships with pupils, parents, grandparents and the local community are positive. All staff and members of the governing body are dedicated to improving the lives of pupils and they work well as a team. Their successful actions have a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching and pupils' achievements.

The school continues to improve. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Occasionally, teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough. Not all teachers consistently provide precise guidance on how pupils can improve their work.

Some leaders and managers do not always check that new initiatives to raise achievement in their areas of responsibility are rigorously monitored across the school.

Information about this school

Clifton is an average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils joining the school during Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is higher than the national average.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those supported by the pupil premium, is higher than that found nationally. The pupil premium is additional government funding that schools receive for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is similar to the national average.

Most pupils are of White British heritage. Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed. Building work was taking place during the inspection to accommodate another early years classroom.

Those joining the school in September 2015 are anticipated to double the usual number of children in early years. Provision in the Reception class is full time. The school meets the government's floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.