St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton

St John’s (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton is a warm, welcoming school where pupils feel safe and part of a family. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014; it is a single academy trust, the principal was interim at the time, and, under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. Inspectors found most areas good and personal development outstanding. Pupils are respectful, calm and motivated, behaviour is good, and safeguarding is effective. Parents are overwhelmingly positive and staff value the consideration given to their wellbeing and workload. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, reading and phonics are particular strengths, pupils with SEND are well supported, and early years provides a strong start. Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, leadership opportunities and strong personal development that prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Leaders have secured rapid improvement after a period of significant turbulence. The main areas for improvement concern governance and some aspects of teaching. Trustees have not yet established secure systems to hold leaders to account for the quality of education or to help set strategic direction, although they have recently begun work to address this. In mathematics, activities do not routinely push pupils into reasoning and problem-solving soon enough, and teachers do not always spot and address knowledge gaps and misconceptions quickly enough. These issues mean pupils do not always progress through the curriculum as well as they could.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming family ethos with respectful, safe and calm pupils.
• Ambitious, thorough curriculum that builds knowledge from Reception to Year 6.
• Reading and phonics are a strength, with well-trained staff and strong pupil progress.
• Pupils with SEND are securely identified and well supported.
• Early years provision gives children a strong start through purposeful activities and effective adult interactions.
• Behaviour is good, with pupils motivated, confident and independent.
• Personal development is exceptional and prepares pupils well for life in modern, diverse Britain.
• Pupils value clubs, leadership roles and opportunities to contribute to the community.
• Leaders have driven rapid improvement after turbulence and consider staff wellbeing and workload.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.
• Trustees care about the school and help manage its finances.

Areas for Improvement

• Trustees lack secure systems to hold leaders to account for the quality of education.
• Trustees have not been able to help set the strategic direction for school improvement.
• Mathematics activities do not routinely encourage reasoning and problem-solving soon enough.
• Staff do not always identify and address pupils’ knowledge gaps and misconceptions quickly enough.
• Pupils do not always progress through the curriculum as well as they could because misconceptions are not addressed promptly.

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 John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.9% 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, 0.5% of pupils at St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, 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 John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton had 24.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.8% 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, 14.6% of pupils at St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton received £6,679 and spent £6,607 for each of its 196 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £484,000 (£2,469 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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What is St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton have?

St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton cover?

St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton?

St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton is at Towngate, Clifton, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, HD6 4HP.