Clifton-upon-Dunsmore CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 February 2025

Clifton-upon-Dunsmore CofE Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school, which pupils are proud to attend. Pupils are polite and kind. They look out for each other and are respectful of differences between them and others. They enjoy warm and nurturing relationships with staff in school. Behaviour around school is positive and no learning time is lost. Pupils are taught how to be resilient. They enjoy living up to the mantra of 'I can't do it yeti'. Pupils benefit from the plethora of opportunities on offer. From the 'writing guild' to 'peer mediators', pupils take their responsibilities seriously and confidently talk about how they contribute to the wider life of the school. The school offers a variety of clubs and activities throughout the school day, including an early-morning choir and the lunchtime 'pop-up clay club', allowing pupils to explore their interests beyond the classroom. Pupils enjoy learning about other faiths and visiting places of worship. The school wants the very best for every pupil, and they achieve well in national assessments. However, the school does not have sufficient oversight of the impact of some aspects of its work. This means that pupils, particularly in the early years, do not achieve as well as they could.

What the school should improve

• In the early years, some activities and interactions do not match the intended learning and do not help children to develop the vocabulary they need. This slows the progress that these children make. The school should ensure that activities and interactions support the intended learning and have the impact that the school intends.
• Governors do not have sufficient understanding of the school's work and so do not provide the challenge and support needed to bring about further improvements. The school should ensure that it routinely evaluates its provision and uses the information so that governors have the knowledge to offer support and robustly hold leaders fully to account for the work of the school.
• The school has not communicated effectively with stakeholders. Some stakeholders have negative perceptions of the school's work in some areas, which has led to uncertainty and dissatisfaction. The school should ensure that opportunities to engage are meaningful and help all stakeholders to regain confidence in the school's work.
• There are some minor weaknesses in the school's safeguarding procedures. This means there is the potential for some safeguarding actions and checks to be missed. The school needs to ensure that all required safeguarding checks, policies and processes are up to date, in place and consistently followed.

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