St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton

St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton is a warm, inclusive and high-performing school where pupils thrive, feel safe and love coming to school. Inspectors found exceptional behaviour and personal development, outstanding leadership and management, and outstanding early years provision, while the quality of education is good. Pupils are highly motivated, achieve well and benefit from a broad, ambitious curriculum, strong reading and phonics teaching, effective SEND support, and a wide range of enrichment opportunities. Staff morale is high, leadership is ambitious and safeguarding is effective. The school's main areas for development are limited but important. In a few foundation subjects, assessment is not fully embedded, so some pupils have gaps in what they know and remember. In key stage 1, some pupils in the early stages of writing are given tasks they are not ready for, meaning they do not secure the basics before moving on to more complex writing. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is a voluntary controlled Church of England primary school split across two sites. The inspection was a graded inspection under section 5, and schools inspected from September 2024 are not given an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Pupils thrive, feel safe and love coming to school in a warm and inclusive community.
• Behaviour and attitudes are exceptional, with pupils polite, kind and courteous.
• Personal development is outstanding, with pupils supported to build character and resilience.
• Leadership and management are outstanding, with a clear ambitious vision and high staff morale.
• Early years provision is outstanding, with curious children and a well-sequenced curriculum.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, building knowledge progressively from Reception.
• Reading and phonics are taught effectively, with well-trained staff and strong catch-up support.
• Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and supported well to succeed alongside their peers.
• Equality and inclusion are strong, with pupils celebrating differences and learning about cultures and faiths.
• Enrichment, clubs, trips and pupil leadership roles help pupils develop interests and talents.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not fully embedded in a few foundation subjects, leaving some pupils with gaps in knowledge.
• Some key stage 1 pupils in the early stages of writing are given tasks they are not ready for and do not secure the basics before moving on.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.2% of pupils at St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.5% of pupils at St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton received £6,106 and spent £6,421 for each of its 481 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £58,000 (-£121 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton last inspected by Ofsted?

St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton have?

St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton has 481 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton cover?

St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton?

St Johns Church of England Primary School, Clifton is at Worrall Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2UH.