Cloverlea Primary School

Inspection of Cloverlea Primary School Green Lane North, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire WA15 7NQ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for in this happy and harmonious school. The warm relationships that they have with staff are mirrored in the ways that pupils care for each other. For instance, older pupils delight in sharing stories with their younger ‘reading buddies’. Play leaders organise games for everyone to enjoy at breaktime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to behave in accordance with the school’s values of ‘learning, caring, believing, achieving’. They take pride in receiving rewards when they demonstrate these values. Starting in the Nursery class, children quickly settle into the school’s well- established routines. This helps to ensure that the atmosphere around the school is calm and orderly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embrace opportunities to make positive contributions to the school community. For example, values ambassadors consult with other pupils about how they can help to improve the school. Subject ambassadors relish the chance to help enthuse other pupils about their favourite subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants the very best for pupils. Since the previous inspection, it has taken action to strengthen the curriculum. This has been successful. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), typically achieve in accordance with the school’s high expectations.

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

The school has undergone much change since the previous inspection. During this time, the school has been mindful of staff workload. For example, it has prioritised training for subject leaders while providing them with dedicated curriculum development time. Staff appreciate such consideration.

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

The school provides an ambitious curriculum that is enriched by a wealth of trips and visits. Pupils enthusiastically described how these experiences help to bring their classroom learning to life.

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

The school has given careful thought to ensuring that pupils learn knowledge in carefully ordered steps from the Nursery class to Year 6. In some subjects, staff have a strong shared understanding of the important knowledge that pupils need to remember. Staff emphasise this in lessons and they check that pupils know it before they move learning on. This helps pupils to progress through the curriculum well.

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

In a small number of subjects there is less clarity around the essential information that it is most important for pupils to know. This makes it difficult for staff to emphasise this knowledge when designing learning activities and when checking what pupils have learned. Some pupils do not build a secure body of knowledge in these subjects.

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

The school successfully fosters a love of reading. Reading ambassadors take pride in ensuring that the new school library is immaculately presented. They consult with staff 8 and 9 October 2024

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and their peers to identify new books to further enrich the library’s collection. Pupils value this relaxing environment in which to settle down and get lost in a story.

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Staff in the early years focus on developing children’s language and communication skills. Children in the Nursery class enjoy songs and rhymes alongside a wealth of carefully chosen stories. This helps to prepare them well for the phonics programme from the start of the Reception class. Children quickly build up knowledge of sounds and letters and this continues into Year 1. Those pupils who struggle to keep up with the phonics programme are quickly identified and helped to catch up. This high-quality support is available in Year 2 and beyond for those pupils who need it. Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. They develop into fluent and confident readers.

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The school has strengthened its provision for pupils with SEND. Pupils’ needs are identified quickly. Staff are given useful information about these needs. However, at times, some staff do not use this information to adapt their delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND as well as they should. On occasions, this hinders how well these pupils access their learning.

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The school supports pupils’ wider development well. Pupils relish the multitude of opportunities to develop new interests, such as skateboarding, singing in the choir and taking part in a variety of sports clubs. Pupils learn important information to equip them well for life in modern Britain. For instance, they learn about internet safety and begin to develop an appreciation for everyone’s uniqueness.

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Pupils are helped to understand how their emotions have an impact on their behaviour. They are attentive to their teachers. Pupils do not usually disturb others by chatting. This helps them to focus on their learning.

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Effective action has been taken to strengthen governance since the previous inspection. Governors are very well informed about the school. They have worked successfully with the school to ensure that pupils are provided with a high-quality education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not ensured that staff are clear about the knowledge that pupils should remember to help them with subsequent learning. This means that staff lack clarity about the information that they should emphasise when they deliver the curriculum and when they check what pupils know and can remember. The school should ensure that staff have a strong shared understanding of this essential learning so that they can help pupils to build knowledge securely over time. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 On occasions, some staff do not adapt their delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND effectively. This hinders some pupils with SEND from learning as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff use the information that they receive about these pupils to support them to access and embed learning successfully.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Carole Partington

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 June 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and staff about the work of the school. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, they discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation relating to other subjects.  An inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar member of staff. Inspectors spoke with some pupils about reading.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  An inspector spoke with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  An inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.

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 Inspectors met with pupils to ask about their experiences of school. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation documents and records relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Sally Rix, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Juliet Francis Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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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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