Skip to main contentEnter
😄Good news
Ipswich.co.uk Logomark in a circle

Ipswich's only independent news website

We publish the stories that matter and champion everything that's good about our town – without the ads, popups or tracking

Oliver Rouane-Williams speaking with an elderly couple in the town centre

We can't do this without you!

If you value strong, free, independent local media that fights tirelessly for our town, please consider contributing just £24 per year

Become a supporter

Clifford Road Primary School 'requires improvement' as rating downgraded by Ofsted

News
Ipswich.co.uk Logomark in a circle

Ipswich's only independent news website

We publish the stories that matter and champion everything that's good about our town – without the ads, popups or tracking

Portrait photo of Oliver Rouane-Williams
Oliver Rouane-Williams

Clifford Road Primary School in Ipswich 'requires improvement' across all areas according to its latest Ofsted inspection, dropping from its previous 'good' rating.

Why it matters: The inspection, carried out on 26 and 27 November 2024, marks a significant change for the school, which was previously rated 'good' in January 2014 and again in a short inspection in July 2019.

The big picture: The school, which has 436 pupils aged 3 to 11, was assessed across five key areas – all of which require improvement:

  • Quality of education

  • Behaviour and attitudes

  • Personal development

  • Leadership and management

  • Early years provision

Clifford Road Primary School in Ipswich
Clifford Road Primary School in Ipswich 'requires improvement' across all areas, according to its latest Ofsted inspectionOliver Rouane-WilliamsIpswich.co.uk

Key shortcomings: The report found that:

  • Teachers lack clarity on curriculum sequencing, leading to gaps in pupils' knowledge

  • Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) needs more rigour

  • New behaviour expectations are not consistently applied

  • Early years pupils need more opportunities to practice writing skills

  • Some pupils struggle with behaviour during lessons and social times

Yes, but: The inspection also highlighted some positives:

  • Pupils enjoy coming to school

  • Staff feel supported by new leadership

  • The school offers varied extracurricular activities, including sports, choir and music

  • Safeguarding arrangements are effective

What's next: The school has appointed a new headteacher, Cieran Dadds, who joined in September 2024. Early changes to mathematics and reading are showing "green shoots of improvement," according to inspectors.

The bottom line: While facing challenges across multiple areas, the school has begun implementing changes under new leadership and has effective safeguarding measures in place.

Portrait photo of Oliver Rouane-Williams
Oliver Rouane-Williams
Mentioned in this article:
Clifford Road Primary School & Nursery
Posted in:
Primary Education
Oliver Rouane-Williams speaking with an elderly couple in the town centre

We can't do this without you!

If you value strong, free, independent local media that fights tirelessly for our town, please consider contributing just £24 per year

Become a supporter

Share this article

Support our journalism by sharing it with your friends, family, colleagues and followers

Oliver Rouane-Williams speaking with an elderly couple in the town centre

Ipswich's only free and independent news publication

Support our journalism

We can't do this without you! Unlike the Ipswich Star and East Anglian Daily Times, Ipswich.co.uk has no banner advertising and no wealthy US corporate owners.

So, if you value strong, free, independent local media that fights tirelessly for a better Ipswich, please consider contributing just £24 per year.

Every penny matters and allows us to keep producing good quality local journalism that respects your time, attention and privacy.

Become a supporter

Suffolk library dispute: Charity says council misrepresenting management costs

News
Ipswich.co.uk Logomark in a circle

Ipswich's only independent news website

We publish the stories that matter and champion everything that's good about our town – without the ads, popups or tracking

Portrait photo of Oliver Rouane-Williams
Oliver Rouane-Williams

Suffolk Libraries claims its back office costs are 21.4% of the total budget—not 33% as claimed by Suffolk County Council, whose CEO urges councillors not to "make a big decision based on flawed figures."

Why it matters: Suffolk County Council has proposed taking the library service back in-house after 12 and a half years of being run by Suffolk Libraries, a move the charity says is based on misrepresented figures. The decision has been met with widespread public criticism:

  • A survey by this publication revealed that 76% were not in favour of the decision, with just 14% in favour of it

  • A petition against the takeover is approaching 21,000 signatures

Bruce Leeke and Sylvia Knights of Suffolk Libraries
Bruce Leeke and Sylvia Knights of Suffolk Libraries

By the numbers: Suffolk Libraries has an annual charitable turnover of nearly £10m, of which:

  • £6.8m comes from the council contract

  • Nearly £3m is generated by Suffolk Libraries itself

  • The charity says this extra income "pays for nearly all back office and management costs"

What they're saying: "We stand by our figures which prove 21.4% of our total annual salary budget is spent on back office/management, including functions like the stock team, HR and IT," said Bruce Leeke, CEO of Suffolk Libraries.

"The figure is only around 7% for senior management, a ratio that seems perfectly reasonable for a charity responsible for running 45 libraries, three mobile libraries and 13 prison libraries in addition to many other value adding contracts."

The other side: The county council has claimed that 33% of Suffolk Libraries staffing costs are spent on back office and management, a figure the charity disputes as being calculated incorrectly.

What's next: Suffolk Libraries met with the council this week to present a new proposal that would potentially allow the council to access additional funding to maintain the current service for the next two years.

For context: The charity says it has "successfully run" the county's 45 libraries for over 12 years and is "heralded within the industry as an example of best practice."

The bottom line: Sylvia Knights, Chair of Suffolk Libraries, has recorded a video appealing to Suffolk County Council decision makers to reconsider and "get back round the negotiating table."

The Suffolk Libraries Contract: A Message from Sylvia Knights, Chair of the Board
Portrait photo of Oliver Rouane-Williams
Oliver Rouane-Williams
Oliver Rouane-Williams speaking with an elderly couple in the town centre

We can't do this without you!

If you value strong, free, independent local media that fights tirelessly for our town, please consider contributing just £24 per year

Become a supporter

Share this article

Support our journalism by sharing it with your friends, family, colleagues and followers

Load next article