Cloughwood Academy

Cloughwood Academy is a small SEMH special school where every pupil has an EHC plan. Inspectors found the school performing at least at expected standard across all areas, with strong standards in attendance and behaviour and in inclusion, and expected standards in personal development, achievement, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and post-16 provision. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe, accepted and well supported; many arrive having disengaged from education but re-engage and improve their attendance substantially. Leaders are praised for their tireless work with families, the 'Cloughwood profile' approach to identifying needs, and a vocational curriculum that prepares pupils well for adulthood and employment. The main concerns relate to the precision of curriculum planning rather than the overall quality of provision. Key knowledge is not defined clearly enough in some subjects, including vocational courses, so tasks can take precedence over building subject knowledge, and phonics teaching varies in quality, holding back some pupils' reading progress. Trustees and leaders do not yet check curriculum quality sharply enough to drive consistent improvement. These issues are reflected in the next steps. The inspection took place after a period of major staffing change, with almost all teaching staff, the senior leadership team and much of the governance newly in post since the last inspection. Inspectors also considered the school's response to a serious incident that occurred after the previous inspection. The school is the only school in the Kaleidoscope Learning Trust. Overall, this is a school fulfilling expected standards with notable strengths in behaviour, inclusion and preparation for adulthood, and clear, focused areas for further development.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe and well cared for
• Attendance and behaviour are strong, with effective strategies to re-engage pupils and reduce absence
• Inclusion is strong: the 'Cloughwood profile' helps staff identify and meet often multiple needs
• Pupils have excellent attitudes to school and behave respectfully; disruption and bullying are rare
• Warm, trusting relationships between staff and pupils create a calm and inclusive atmosphere
• The personal development programme is tailor-made to pupils' SEMH needs and raises self-worth and aspirations
• Pupil premium funding is used to great effect, extending vocational and enrichment opportunities for disadvantaged pupils
• The careers programme is comprehensive and aligned to industry-standard qualifications, preparing pupils well for adulthood
• Post-16 provision prepares the vast majority of students for appropriate employment, education or training
• Leaders and trustees make decisions in pupils' best interests and have introduced vocational pathways that benefit vulnerable pupils
• Staff professional development is high quality, and leaders consider staff workload and wellbeing carefully

Areas for Improvement

• Key knowledge is not defined precisely enough in some subjects, so tasks can become more important than developing subject knowledge
• Phonics teaching varies in quality, so some pupils do not improve their reading as well as they could
• Curriculum and teaching checks by trust and school leaders are not sharp enough to ensure consistently highly effective teaching
• Progress through the curriculum is not as consistently positive as it could be because of unclear key knowledge
• Some post-16 curriculum topics focus on tasks rather than reinforcing key knowledge

In 2024–25 pupils at Cloughwood Academy attended 86.0% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 46.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

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, 5.9% of pupils at Cloughwood Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). 3 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 Cloughwood Academy had 6.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

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 Cloughwood Academy had 120 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: social, emotional and mental health.

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 special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Cloughwood Academy received £28,695 and spent £27,322 for each of its 118 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,772,000 (£15,017 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Northwich · Cheshire West and Chester local authority: places and applications

What is Cloughwood Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cloughwood Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Cloughwood Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Cloughwood Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Cloughwood Academy have?

Cloughwood Academy has 120 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cloughwood Academy cover?

Cloughwood Academy for pupils aged 8 to 18.

What are Cloughwood Academy's GCSE results?

In 2017 its average Attainment 8 score was 15.7, and 0% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Cloughwood Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cloughwood Academy?

Cloughwood Academy is at Stones Manor Lane, Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 1NU.