Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff

About Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff

Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff is a primary school in Stoke-on-Trent that clearly inspires loyalty among local families. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 53 applications for 42 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.26 applicants per place. Of those, 40 families put it down as their first preference, and all 40 were offered a spot. That level of demand suggests parents who know the school rate it highly, even though the school’s overall Ofsted rating is Requires Improvement. The most recent graded inspection, in November 2023, gave Good marks for early years provision, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. So the picture is more nuanced than the headline grade suggests — the school has clear strengths in the areas that matter most to parents day to day.

Academically, Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff sits in the bottom half of primary schools nationally and within Stoke-on-Trent. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 58% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — just below the local authority average of 60%. The school’s rank within Stoke-on-Trent is 37th out of 63 primary schools. Only 2% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. Looking at individual subjects, reading scores were stronger: the average scaled score was 102, with 68% reaching the expected standard and 10% hitting the higher mark. Writing saw 78% at expected and 19% at higher. Maths was weaker, with an average score of 98, 59% at expected and just 5% at higher. The school has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 50.3%, which provides important context for these results.

The school offers a practical, well-resourced environment. Facilities include a sports hall, dining hall, forest school, sensory room, ICT suite and a chapel. There’s a broad range of sports on offer — tennis, netball, football, rounders, athletics and cricket — plus clubs including art, chess and book club. The nursery provision means children can start from age three. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists seven specific SEND provisions, covering areas such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 400 pupils on a capacity of 420, the school is near full but not bursting. It’s a good fit for families who value a supportive, inclusive atmosphere and want a school that’s clearly popular in the local community, even if its headline results don’t yet match its strengths in pastoral care and early years.

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