Cliffe Hill Community Primary School

About Cliffe Hill Community Primary School

Cliffe Hill Community Primary School sits within Calderdale local authority, a mixed state primary for children aged 3 to 11. Among the 82 primary schools in the borough, it ranks 51st, placing it in the bottom half of Calderdale’s state primaries. The top-performing local peers include St Mary's CofE (VC) J and I School, All Saints' CofE Primary School, and The Greetland Academy, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. Cliffe Hill is a relatively small school, with 191 pupils against a capacity of 236, and it serves a community where 56.4 per cent of children are eligible for free school meals — well above the national average. The school has a nursery provision and is led by headteacher Lindsay Lomas. In its most recent ungraded Ofsted inspection in January 2025, inspectors confirmed that standards were maintained, and the school retains its overall Good rating from the previous graded inspection in March 2020.

Academically, Cliffe Hill’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that 54 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — below the Calderdale local authority average of 59 per cent. This places the school in the bottom 50 nationally on this measure. However, individual subject scores tell a more nuanced story. The average reading score was 106 and the average maths score was 105, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. In maths, 71 per cent of pupils met the expected standard, and 25 per cent achieved the higher standard. Reading saw 68 per cent at expected and 25 per cent at higher. Writing was weaker, with 57 per cent at expected and only 7 per cent at the higher level. The school’s Ofsted breakdown from the 2020 graded inspection rated personal development as Outstanding, with Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision.

Cliffe Hill offers a range of facilities including a library, sensory room, playing fields, forest school and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, cricket, dance, gymnastics, cross country and swimming, while clubs cover science, coding, film and art. The school’s SEND provision is broad, supporting pupils with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. A resourced provision is also in place. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 39 applications were received for 22 places, with 21 first-preference applicants offered a spot. Parent View responses from 46 families were overwhelmingly positive — 93 per cent would recommend the school, and 85 per cent strongly agreed that their child does well there. This is a school that suits families looking for strong pastoral care and a supportive environment for children with additional needs, set within a diverse and inclusive community.

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