Cliftonville Primary School

About Cliftonville Primary School

Cliftonville Primary School in Thanet was rated Good overall by Ofsted in its most recent inspection in June 2024, a change from the Outstanding rating it held previously. The inspection report is notably strong on behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision, all of which were judged Outstanding. The school’s most telling academic metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2, which stood at 50% in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure sits below the Kent local authority average of 63% for primary schools, placing Cliftonville 21st out of 25 schools in the Thanet district and in the bottom half nationally. The school is large, with 845 pupils on roll, and serves a community where 50% of children are eligible for free school meals, a significantly higher proportion than the national average.

Looking more closely at individual subjects, 66% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 62% in maths, and 59% in writing. At the higher standard, the figures are much lower: 15% in reading, 14% in maths, and just 7% in writing, with only 3% reaching the higher standard across all three subjects. Average scaled scores in reading and maths were both 101, exactly at the national benchmark. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, so it is difficult to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. However, the Ofsted report notes that leadership and management and the quality of education are both Good, and the early years provision remains Outstanding, suggesting strong foundations for younger children. The school does not have a sixth form, as it is a primary school for ages 3 to 11.

Cliftonville offers a wide range of facilities including a library, music rooms, a forest school, an ICT suite, a sensory room, a gymnasium, playing fields, and even a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, dance, swimming, football, cross country, gymnastics and athletics, and there are clubs such as chess, film club, gardening, choir, eco club and book club. The school has a nursery provision and provides support for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 108 places attracted 216 applications, with 95 first-preference offers made. This is a school that suits families who value a broad, inclusive environment with strong pastoral care and a clear focus on early years, but who are realistic about academic outcomes being below the local average.

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