St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton

Inspection of St John’s (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton Towngate, Clifton, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 4HP

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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The principal of this school is Rebecca Townsend. This school is a single academy trust, which means the trust board also has responsibility for running the school. The board of trustees is chaired by Lynn Taylor.

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since June 2014. The school received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 6 February 2020. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel part of a family in this warm, welcoming school. Pupils are highly respectful towards adults and each other. Pupils feel safe and enjoy excellent relationships with staff. They arrive at school in a calm manner, ready to learn and make the most of their day. Pupils are thoughtful and kind. Their attitudes reflect the ethos of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils’ achievement. The curriculum interests and challenges pupils. They learn with enthusiasm and build their knowledge effectively over time. Pupils are excited by their learning in many subjects and glow with pride when talking about it. Pupils are mostly focused in lessons and work with determination. They love to read and appreciate their many opportunities to do so.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a strong start in the early years, where they enjoy well-considered days of learning and discovery.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in school. Pupils are confident and independent. Pupils are motivated to behave well. Their behaviour is good all around the school. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about their leadership opportunities and their contribution to the life of the school and community beyond. Pupils are clear that they are all equal and that it is okay to be different.

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

Curriculum thinking is thorough and ambitious. Teachers use the curriculum effectively so that learning flows from Reception to Year 6. Pupils revisit prior learning to help them remember important knowledge. They talk confidently about their learning and can recall important facts. In design and technology, pupils describe how they apply learning from key stage 1 about inputs and outputs when programming microbits in Year 4. In some instances, staff do not identify and address pupils’ knowledge gaps and misconceptions quickly enough. This hinders pupils from progressing through the curriculum as well as they could. In mathematics, pupils know facts well, but the activities they are presented with do not routinely encourage them to reason and problem-solve soon enough.

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

Reading is a strength of the school. A rigorous approach to teaching phonics ensures that pupils remember the sounds that they learn. Staff are well trained and skilled. Almost all pupils make strong progress through the reading curriculum. Pupils confidently read books matched to the sounds that they are learning and practise writing the sounds and words that they know. Where needed, extra support is delivered well so that pupils can keep up with the phonics programme. Older pupils read increasingly complex texts, developing fluency and expression.

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

The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are securely identified and well met. Staff work hard to ensure that barriers to learning are reduced so that pupils with SEND achieve well. Individual targets for pupils with SEND are known by staff. As a result, adaptations are made so that learning is successful. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Children in the early years are creative and curious learners. Intended learning activities are considered in detail so that children make good progression through the Reception Year curriculum. Every activity has a purpose, and adult interactions are highly effective. Children in the Reception Year are, therefore, well prepared for key stage 1.

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The new behaviour and relationships policy promotes good levels of behaviour. Pupils manage their behaviour well because they understand what good behaviour is. Pupils take pride in the presentation of their work. Bullying is rare; pupils say that it never happens.

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Personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils learn to be safe. They talk with maturity about issues such as county lines and grooming. Pupils have a strong knowledge of different faiths and cultures. They can discuss the world that they live in and apply their knowledge of concepts such as individual liberty to different parts of the world. They discuss ideas such as democracy and the rule of law with deep understanding. Pupils value access to a wide range of clubs and activities. They take responsibility and enjoy many leadership roles. Pupils are motivated to contribute to the community beyond the school. They are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern, diverse Britain.

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Trustees have a care for the school and help manage the school finances. However, they have not established secure systems to hold leaders to account for the quality of education and have not been able to help set the strategic direction for improvement. Trustees have recently taken action to address this by working with a national leader of governance to review their practice.

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Leaders in school have ensured rapid improvement following a period of significant turbulence. At the same time, the school considers the well-being and workload of staff, who value the support that they receive. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive 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)

 Trustees do not have systems in place to help them hold leaders to account for the quality of education. As a result, they have not been able to help set the strategic direction for school improvement. Trustees should rapidly build their capacity and further develop systems so that they know what is happening in school and can challenge and support leaders effectively.  In mathematics, the activities pupils are presented with do not routinely encourage them to use their knowledge in reasoning and problem-solving soon enough. This means that pupils do not become adept at applying what they know. The school should 25 and 26 February 2025

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continue to develop ways that pupils can reason, use and apply their knowledge as soon as they are ready.  At times, knowledge gaps and misconceptions are not identified and addressed soon enough. This means that pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they could. The school should continue its work to ensure that all teachers have the pedagogical knowledge needed to ensure that misconceptions are spotted and addressed effectively.

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England primary school. The last inspection of the school’s religious character took place in January 2018.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The principal was an interim principal at the time of the inspection.

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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. 25 and 26 February 2025

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 This was 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.  Inspectors met with the principal and other staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the board of governors and a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors met with the leader for behaviour and attendance, the leader for pupil premium funding, the leader for personal, social and health education and the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics, history and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, conducted joint lesson visits with leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at

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samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors met with the leaders for early years and visited the Reception class.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around school and at playtime and lunchtime.  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.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff and pupils and Ofsted Parent View. These included comments received via the free-text facility. Inspectors also talked to some parents and carers at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Chris Jennings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Joanne Cliff Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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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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