City special school celebrates ‘brilliant’ Ofsted report championing Cliffdale Primary Academy as a ‘warm, nurturing, and inclusive’ environment

Cliffdale Primary Academy is celebrating a glowing report by Ofsted inspectors, which praised its ‘highly skilled’ staff and ‘exceptionally’ well-behaved students.

The Battenburg Avenue school has 204 pupils aged from two to 11 years old, and caters for young people with complex learning difficulties.

All have special educational needs or disabilities with more than 80 per cent of pupils having autism spectrum disorder and severe learning difficulties.

Ofsted found that Cliffdale Primary Academy is a ‘very calm place to learn’, and is home to a ‘non-judgemental, supportive community’.

The report added that school leaders are ‘rightly proud’ of the ‘warm, nurturing, inclusive environment’, and that it is clear that pupils ‘love their school’.

Principal Nicola Payne told The News: ‘We’re absolutely delighted with the report and the lovely feedback that the inspectors gave us – particularly because they recognised that the children here really love coming to school and enjoying everything they do.’

The school amalgamated with the children’s centre next door two and a half years ago, and the youngest children learn at this site.

Ofsted noted that Cliffdale Primary Academy has grown significantly since its previous inspection, having almost doubled in size.

It found that pupils at the school are given ‘invaluable, exciting opportunities’ to learn about the world, and added that the ‘engagement and sheer enjoyment’ that the youngsters find in learning is ‘wonderful to see’.

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School leaders’ ‘drive and determination’ to create a positive learning environment was also recognised, with Ofsted noting that this is of ‘huge benefit’ to pupils and their families.

Nicola added: ‘We’ve worked so hard with families, particularly over the pandemic, to make sure we are continuing to provide the children with amazing opportunities, bringing their learning to life and making sure they have fun every day.

‘It was brilliant to have that recognised and it has been a real team effort.

‘The report also talked about our ‘shared values’ and that is at the heart of everything we do. ‘We want to increase the engagement of the children and build strong relationships with them and work on their communication, while also promoting their independence and encouraging their resilience.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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