Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff

Inspection of Co-Op Academy Clarice Cliff Goldenhill Road, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 3DP

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Diane Broadhurst. This school is part of The Co- operative Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Chris Tomlinson and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Russell Gill. There is also an executive headteacher, Suzanne Oakes-Smith, who is responsible for this school and others. 14 and 15 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well looked after here. Staff at this school are committed to supporting the well-being of pupils. The school provides valued support to families and pupils who need additional help.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk enthusiastically about their school. They are happy and confident, reflecting the school’s values. They relish the many roles and responsibilities they take on, such as well-being and reading ambassadors. The school enables pupils to take an active role in making decisions about their education. For example, the school council helps to plan the rewards and privileges that pupils receive to reward positive behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff expect pupils to behave well, focusing on three core values of being ready, respectful and safe. Pupils respond positively to these high expectations. This helps to ensure that the atmosphere throughout the school is calm and purposeful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision for the curriculum is clear and ambitious. However, the school’s ambition is not fully realised. In some areas of the curriculum, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a well-designed enrichment programme. They enjoy a varied range of opportunities available to them beyond the academic curriculum, including after-school clubs and residential trips. This helps pupils to develop their talents and interests, including sports and music.

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better?

Staff ensure that all pupils have the same opportunities to learn a broad range of subjects across the school. While they have high ambition for their pupils, staff do not consistently deliver the curriculum as planned. There are inconsistencies in how some of the subjects are taught. For example, in some subjects, pupils are not given enough opportunities to make connections in their learning, draw conclusions or apply their knowledge to new contexts.

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better?

The school has made effective changes to improve the coherence and structure of the curriculum for mathematics and early reading. Reading is a high priority for the school. Staff are relentless in ensuring that all pupils learn to read well. The school seeks to engage parents and carers as soon as children begin in the early years. For example, the school offers workshops such as ‘breakfast with books’ to encourage a love of reading. Pupils learn to read accurately and fluently from a young age. There is a consistent approach to teaching phonics and staff teach the phonics programme well. This starts in the early years. Staff provide immediate support the moment they notice that a child has not grasped the phonics content taught. This endorses the school’s mantra of ‘keep up not catch up’. 14 and 15 November 2023

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However, in some foundation subjects, teachers do not always pick up on pupils’ misconceptions in pupils’ written work swiftly and remedy them. Expectations of pupils’ written work in these subjects is not consistently high enough. Some pupils struggle to quickly and easily express themselves in their written work. Teachers’ support to address this is not as effective as it could be.

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Children in the early years get off to a strong start when they join the school. They settle in quickly because of the care and support they receive. Children quickly learn the classroom routines and the importance of sharing and taking turns. The school has ensured that children in the early years benefit from a strong and effective curriculum. This helps to develop children’s language and communication skills well.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Teachers have a good understanding of their needs. The school ensures that staff have the training they need to identify and support pupils with SEND effectively. Staff work with pupils and parents to ensure that plans identify the right steps for pupils.

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Staff work with parents effectively to emphasise the importance of high attendance. As a result, more pupils attend more regularly and arrive punctually. Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning. They follow instructions and are keen to learn.

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The school takes every opportunity to give pupils rich, varied experiences to appreciate their local heritage, as well as raising their aspirations. This helps to prepare them well for their next steps. A broad range of trips and experiences reinforces pupils’ social and cultural understanding. Pupils have a keen understanding of fundamental British values. They know how to keep themselves safe outside and online.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported by leaders and the trust. They value the training they receive. They appreciate leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being when making decisions about the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to apply the knowledge that they have learned. As a result, pupils do not develop a secure depth of understanding. The school should ensure that all staff provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to apply their learning across all curriculum subjects so that they deepen their learning. 14 and 15 November 2023

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 At times, staff do not pick up on and deal with pupils’ misconceptions when they arise. When this happens, pupils’ errors are not addressed and they do not learn effectively. The school should ensure that teachers address pupils’ misconceptions promptly and help them to learn from mistakes.  In some foundation subjects, some pupils do not write confidently and with fluency. This limits pupils’ ability to record their work accurately and use their written work to reflect on their learning. The school should ensure that all staff support pupils to improve the fluency of their written work so that they achieve well.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 14 and 15 November 2023

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School details

Website claricecliff.coopacademies.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined The Co-operative Academies Trust in December 2020.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the trust.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the local governing council and trustees. 14 and 15 November 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, history and design technology. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also examined pupils’ work in science.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors considered a range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans. Minutes of governing body meetings were also scrutinised.  Inspectors looked at records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors talked to parents at the start of the school day and considered the Ofsted Parent View survey and free-text comments. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to the staff survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils through discussion.

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Inspection team

Cathy Young, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Ray Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 November 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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