Cliftonville Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in the care of staff at Cliftonville Primary School. Strong relationships are the foundation of their experience, and pupils treat staff and one another with respect. Parents reference the 'lovely community atmosphere' and the 'brilliant pastoral support' that their children receive.

All pupils, from the early years upwards, can talk with confidence about their seven school values of independence, being 'safe and settled', resilience, respect, aspiration, learning and demonstrating 'community unity'. They understand well what these mean and strive to live them out as they go about their days.

Pupils participate positively around school and are keen to wo...rk hard and do well.

They engage readily in their learning and are keen to show what they understand. Pupils taking national tests in 2023 did not achieve as well as they could have done. The school has taken prompt action to remedy this.

Current pupils benefit from teaching that helps them remember their learning and connect it to what has come before.

Pupils take responsibility in this school and contribute to its success. This is evident in the members of the 'Junior Leadership Team', who talk about their ambition to make things stronger still.

Other responsibilities include being house captains, language, reading or well-being ambassadors, and young environment leaders.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

A carefully designed curriculum across subjects is planned from the early years upwards to ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. The foundations laid in Nursery and Reception are exceptionally strong, preparing children well for their next steps.

Across lessons, staff show expert subject knowledge. There is a sharp focus on developing vocabulary and pupils are increasingly able to discuss their learning using precise subject-specific terminology. In the strongest lessons, planned activities are well connected to the intended learning, so that pupils have opportunities to deliberately practise and reinforce the key skills.

However, this is not as consistently strong across all lessons. Regular opportunities to revisit prior learning, for example through initiatives such as the 'nothing new, just review' system, mean that pupils are well supported to remember their learning in the longer term.

The school thinks very carefully about its provision, ensuring it meets the varied needs of the pupils in their school.

This is especially evident in the school's creation of 'the hive', where pupils with additional needs receive tailored and bespoke support to ensure they begin their school journeys in the best way possible. Across lessons, pupils with SEND are well supported. Staff have astute understanding of both their needs and the strategies needed to support them.

Reading is made a high priority in the school. The newly developed library is a large and inviting space, and there are daily opportunities for reading through the curriculum. Phonics is taught well, and pupils are supported with interventions if they struggle to read with fluency.

The early years environment is exceptionally well planned and implemented to meet the needs of its children. Staff get to know their needs very quickly and adapt work to meet these needs. Children are engaged by carefully planned opportunities in an environment that is rich in language and talk.

These features help children to make up any ground rapidly so that they are well prepared to start key stage 1.

The school has a passion and drive that the pupils in their care receive the best chances in life. This is exceptionally evident in the way it goes about supporting the wider development of pupils, and their families.

The multicultural nature of the school is actively celebrated. Pupils also take lead in this work. For example, those pupils who are 'Language Ambassadors' support pupils with English as an additional language when they first join the school.

This is a school that knows its pupils, and their families, exceptionally well. Staff are approachable and they forge strong relationships through the well-being hub known as 'the house', a literal front door through which families can access a range of additional support and meet with staff who will help them.

Key stage 2 outcomes in the 2023 national tests were disappointing, with reading and mathematics performing below national expectations.

Leaders have responded to this robustly. They have employed a series of measures to support pupils in learning effectively in these subjects. These include revisions to their taught curriculum, as well as bespoke interventions and groupings so that pupils can learn in a way tailored to their specific needs.

This is already beginning to show impact in the performance lower down in the school, including the improvement in phonics outcomes. However, the full impact of this work is not yet evident.

Leaders share the same aspirational vision for pupils in the school.

Their regular monitoring allows them to check that their actions are having the impact that they want them to. Governors and trustees have a very secure understanding of the school and provide effective support to ensure that the provision continues to develop and improve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has implemented a range of initiatives to improve pupils' achievement in reading and mathematics. However, these are not fully embedded and so the impact is not yet evident. The school needs to continue to embed these strategies in order to support all pupils in doing well.