John Clifford Primary School

Inspection of John Clifford Primary School Nether Street, Beeston, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG9 2AT

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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 Good

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The headteacher of this school is Janine Waring. This school is part of The White Hills Park Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Paul Heery, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gareth Davies. 5 and 6 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong atmosphere of love and care here. Pupils are proud of their school’s cultural diversity. Alongside being respectful and open to different beliefs, pupils value being immersed in them. New pupils often join the school. They are warmly welcomed by everyone. They quickly settle in and make friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Pupils are polite and considerate. They work hard in lessons and get on well at playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is prioritised. The school makes the most of having ‘the biggest garden in Beeston’. Through regular outdoor learning, pupils develop resilience and problem-solving skills. They collect honey from the beehives and tend to the animals. Pupils also run a daily mile and learn to swim and ride a bike to complete the ‘JC triathlon’. This results in pupils developing confidence and a sense of responsibility.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for pupils’ academic achievement. Sometimes, published outcomes do not fully reflect the good quality education which the school provides.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s 125-year history at the heart of the community is celebrated throughout the building. Pupils are encouraged to gain a sense of their place in this. As one parent aptly stated, the school helps pupils ‘build positive memories to look back and build on from’.

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

Reading is central to the curriculum. The school makes sure phonics teaching begins right at the start of the Reception Year. Trained staff teach phonics well. Pupils have lots of practice recognising new sounds. Recently, phonics attainment dipped compared to previous years. This is mostly due to many new pupils joining in Year 1. Often, new pupils arrive at the earlier stages of speaking English, with little phonics knowledge. The school acts quickly to help pupils catch up. Pupils throughout school receive effective extra support if needed. Pupils love reading and their achievement is improving compared to their starting points. They look forward to the daily story time. In the Nursery Year, children enjoy rhyming stories. Stories are used well to help pupils of all ages increase their vocabulary. Texts are carefully chosen to reflect pupils’ different backgrounds, as well as support their understanding of key topics.

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

The school is also determined to improve pupils’ attainment in writing. Approaches for teaching writing are carefully considered. The school ensures pupils learn accurate letter formation and joined handwriting. Pupils receive specific guidance and targets on how to improve their writing. As a result, pupils write with improving accuracy and sophistication.

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum that is both interesting and relevant for pupils. It is well designed to enable pupils to build knowledge over time. The curriculum design makes clear what pupils need to learn and when. The curriculum is mostly delivered well. Teachers clearly explain new concepts, making use of appropriate resources. They revisit past learning to help pupils make links with what they know 5 and 6 November 2024

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already. Targeted questioning is used to check pupils’ understanding. However, at times, lesson activities are not well designed to help pupils secure knowledge. This includes in the early years, where sometimes activities lack a meaningful purpose.

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The curriculum is inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teaching and lesson activities are appropriately adapted to meet these pupils’ needs. The school provides more bespoke support for a few pupils with SEND who find school more of a challenge. These pupils are well supported in a calmer, more nurturing environment so they engage more readily with learning.

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Pupils’ positive behaviour and attitudes are borne out of deliberate teaching of the school’s values. The ‘JC promises’ weave through every aspect of the school and the curriculum. These support pupils’ personal development. There is a weekly focus on individual ‘promises’ in assemblies. Pupils consider and debate how the ‘promise’ corresponds with life in modern Britain. Pupils are encouraged to develop a sense of personal responsibility to help them become good citizens.

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Staff, particularly those in the early stages of their career, find the school provides a supportive environment in which they can develop.

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The trust and local governing committee work in partnership to assure themselves that the school fulfils its responsibilities. The trust has helped the school make improvements in monitoring activities. This has ensured greater ambition in curriculum design and improvements in pupils’ achievement in some subjects. The school aims to raise achievement throughout the curriculum. However, it is not always clear how the school is going to make improvements. This is because monitoring activities in some areas are not sufficiently well focused. These do not always help the school to identify what could be better.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes the activities or work given to pupils, including in the early years, do not purposefully support the intended learning. As a result, pupils do not learn the intended knowledge, and their recall of what has been taught is limited. The school needs to make sure that activities are appropriately designed to support the intended and meaningful learning.  The school does not check the implementation and impact of the curriculum and provision well enough. Often, monitoring activities do not always help the school to identify where there are weaknesses. The school should ensure that any monitoring clarifies exactly what is working well and what needs to improve. 5 and 6 November 2024

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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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined The White Hills Park Trust on the 1 May 2021.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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. 5 and 6 November 2024

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 This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector met with the CEO and other trust leaders. She also met with some trustees and several governors from the local governing body.  Inspectors met with senior leaders of the school and considered a range of documentation.  Inspectors conducted deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing, history and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum; visited a sample of lessons; spoke to teachers; spoke to some pupils about their learning; and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened as pupils read to a familiar adult. Inspectors also considered evidence about some other curriculum subjects.

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 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.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site during breaktime.  The inspectors spoke with groups of pupils and staff. Inspectors spoke to parents and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, as well as the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Claire Stylianides, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emma Hollis-Brown Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 November 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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