Lift Hamford

About Lift Hamford

Lift Hamford, a state primary in Tendring, Essex, has been rated Good overall by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in November 2022, a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2019. The school now holds Good marks across all five inspected categories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Its most telling exam metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which stands at 77 per cent. That figure sits well above the local authority average of 62 per cent for similar schools, placing Lift Hamford 66th out of 444 primary schools in Essex. In the Tendring district specifically, the school ranks 4th out of 33 primaries, putting it comfortably in the top 25 per cent nationally.

Digging deeper into the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the school’s average scores in reading (108) and maths (107) both exceed the national benchmark of 100, and the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in reading (47 per cent) is notably strong. In maths, 38 per cent reached the higher threshold, while 26 per cent did so in writing. The school’s overall ranking score of 77, based on the combined expected standard metric, places it in the top 15 per cent of all primary schools nationally. These outcomes are particularly impressive given that 33.2 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure well above the national average, suggesting the school is effective at supporting children from a range of backgrounds. The Ofsted report also notes that behaviour and attitudes are Good, which aligns with the school’s capacity to maintain a productive learning environment.

Lift Hamford is significantly oversubscribed: for 54 places in the 2025/26 reception intake, there were 86 total applications, with 51 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.59. The school operates a nursery provision for children from age two, and its facilities include a gymnasium, music rooms, playing fields and an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include cross country, football, athletics, rounders and swimming, while clubs range from choir and drama to gardening, coding and science club. The school has a particularly broad range of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder, plus a resourced provision. This makes it a strong option for families seeking an inclusive, academically solid primary with a proven track record of improvement.

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