Highcliffe Primary School

About Highcliffe Primary School

Highcliffe Primary School, a state primary in Redcar and Cleveland, holds a Good rating from Ofsted following its most recent inspection in early 2025, with every graded category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — all rated Good. The school's most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, which sits at 57% of pupils. That figure is below the local authority average of 65%, placing Highcliffe 29th out of 41 primary schools in Redcar and Cleveland. Nationally, it ranks in the bottom half of schools, around the 65th percentile. However, the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects: 80% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, and the average reading score of 106 is solid. Maths tells a similar story, with 75% reaching the expected standard and an average score of 103. The real drag comes from writing, where only 65% met the expected standard, and just 8% achieved the higher standard.

The school's Ofsted report from 2016 also rated it Good overall, so the current rating represents consistent performance rather than a recent improvement. In terms of progress measures, the data is incomplete — no progress scores are available for reading, writing or maths — so it's hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. What is clear is that Highcliffe serves a community with above-average disadvantage: 33.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, significantly higher than the national average. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 45 applications for 31 places, and all 31 first-preference applicants were offered a place, suggesting it is a popular choice among local families. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of respondents to the Parent View survey saying they would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreeing that children are happy, safe, and well-behaved.

Facilities include a Forest School, sensory room, library, art studios, playing fields, and a gymnasium, alongside a chapel on site. The school offers a range of sports including football, cross country, dance, cricket and swimming, and clubs such as eco club, drama, science club, choir, coding and chess. For children with special educational needs, Highcliffe lists provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school also has nursery provision for children from age three. Given its Good Ofsted rating, strong parent satisfaction, and clear oversubscription, Highcliffe is likely to suit families who value a well-regarded local primary with a broad range of extracurricular activities and a supportive SEND offer, though those prioritising top-tier academic outcomes may want to look at higher-performing schools in the area.

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