Hall Cliffe Primary School, Wakefield

What it's like to be a pupil at Hall Cliffe Primary School

Many pupils join Hall Cliffe Primary School following a period of instability in their schooling, often including time out of education. Staff take the time needed to get to know pupils and to ensure that they feel safe and secure in their new school. All pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Staff have a thorough understanding of these and other information about pupils' needs. This information informs the personalised package of support, including through the school's clinical and pastoral teams, that each pupil receives. In combination, this helps pupils to progress well while they are at school and to become increasingly confident and well prepared for the next phase of their education. Pupils generally enjoy school. Most attend significantly more regularly than they did prior to their time here. This helps them to form secure relationships with staff. Pupils trust staff to help them keep safe and to achieve well. Bullying and targeted acts of unkindness are rare. Usually, pupils show respect for others in their conduct. When this is not the case, staff work to help pupils understand the impact of their actions on others and how to better manage their emotions and frustrations. Sometimes, pupils struggle to apply this guidance and their behaviour falls short of leaders' expectations. After such instances, staff provide pupils with a safe environment to reflect and a fresh opportunity. Pupils enjoy a range of opportunities that enrich their studies. They regularly participate in activities such as swimming and forest school provision. Some take on leadership roles, including ‘HERO' (helping everyone respect others) pupils that allow them to contribute to the wider school. Educational visits, including through the ‘life skills' programme, broaden pupils' experiences. For example, visiting the cinema or learning how to travel on a bus.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should ensure that pupils consistently secure important knowledge from the curriculum before progressing on to new learning, in order that that pupils build a detailed understanding of what they have been taught.
• Leaders should ensure that staff consistently and effectively implement agreed approaches to managing behaviour so that instances of disruptive behaviour and pupils becoming dysregulated reduce further. This includes further reducing those which escalate and require staff to use restrictive intervention.

Hall Cliffe Primary School excels at welcoming pupils who have experienced disrupted education and helping them feel secure and supported. The school's combination of strong teaching, clinical expertise, and personalized therapeutic support helps pupils make real progress and build confidence. Parents recognise the staff's genuine commitment to their children's development and wellbeing.

Safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed, ensuring pupils feel safe.

Life skills programme, fun Fridays, visits to places of worship, in-school workshops on racism and charity

Bus Stops