North Clifton Primary School

North Clifton Primary School is a small, tight-knit village school that is performing well overall. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is particularly effective in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils are happy, polite and confident; attendance is consistently above the national average, persistent absence is low, behaviour expectations are high, and relationships are based on mutual respect. Leaders are highly aspirational, especially for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and have driven significant improvements since the previous inspection. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced for mixed-age classes, and staff support pupils effectively, including through timely interventions. However, achievement and the quality of curriculum and teaching are not yet as strong as the school's best work. Pupils leave well prepared and reach expected standards broadly in line with national outcomes in reading, writing and maths, but fewer pupils reach the higher standard in national tests at key stage 2. Inspectors also found some inconsistency in handwriting expectations, and in a very small number of foundation subject lessons teaching focuses more on completing tasks than on securing the intended key knowledge. Next steps are to embed the intended knowledge focus in all lessons, deepen pupils’ learning so more reach higher standards, and further improve handwriting. The school is well regarded by parents, staff and governors, with a strong community feel and a wide personal development offer that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

Strengths

• Kind, caring and inclusive environment where pupils feel they belong and are accepted.
• Consistently high attendance, well above national average, with very low persistent absence.
• Sky-high behaviour expectations and respectful relationships between pupils and staff.
• Highly aspirational leadership that has secured significant improvement since the previous inspection.
• Strong support and inclusive teaching for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum that is carefully adapted for mixed-age classes.
• Personal development programme rooted in respect, resilience and responsibility prepares pupils well for modern Britain.
• Extensive outdoor learning, trips, clubs and community engagement.
• Staff morale is high, with leaders attentive to workload and wellbeing.
• Governors provide appropriate support and challenge and fulfil their statutory duties well.
• Safeguarding standards are met through an open culture of safeguarding.

Areas for Improvement

• Fewer pupils than nationally reach the higher standard in key stage 2 national tests.
• Handwriting expectations are not consistently high enough, and staff do not routinely address letter formation errors.
• In a very small number of foundation subject lessons, teaching focuses on the task rather than the intended key learning.

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 2023–24 pupils at North Clifton Primary School attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.5%). 4.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 14.6%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at North Clifton Primary School 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 2024–25 North Clifton Primary School had 11.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.8). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 20.0% of pupils at North Clifton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 2024–25 North Clifton Primary School received £15,351 and spent £14,622 for each of its 23 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £5,000 (-£202 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newark · Nottinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is North Clifton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North Clifton Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was North Clifton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

North Clifton Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does North Clifton Primary School have?

North Clifton Primary School has 20 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Clifton Primary School cover?

North Clifton Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is North Clifton Primary School?

North Clifton Primary School is at CHURCH LANE, NORTH CLIFTON, NEWARK, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, NG23 7AP.