Marlcliffe Community Primary School

About Marlcliffe Community Primary School

Marlcliffe Community Primary School sits within the Sheffield local authority, a mixed state primary for children aged 5 to 11. Among the 131 primary schools in the area, it ranks 39th, placing it comfortably in the top half of Sheffield primaries. The three highest-ranked peers in the LA are Dobcroft Junior School, Totley Primary School, and Angram Bank Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. Marlcliffe’s own ranking score of 62 puts it in the bottom 50 nationally, but within Sheffield it performs above the median. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Malin Bridge Primary School, just 1.2 kilometres away. Marlcliffe itself holds a Good rating, a significant improvement from its previous Requires Improvement judgement in 2013. The school is led by headteacher Clare Hayes and has a capacity of 501 pupils, with 480 currently on roll.

Academically, Marlcliffe’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show a mixed picture. 62% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is above the Sheffield LA average of 57%. However, only 16% reached the higher standard in all three subjects. In individual subjects, reading and maths both returned an average scaled score of 106, while 81% achieved the expected standard in maths and 77% in reading. Writing saw 76% at expected and 19% at the higher level. The school’s Ofsted inspection in July 2024 confirmed it remains Good, with leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all rated Good. The previous graded inspection in 2015 had also awarded Good, so the school has held this rating consistently since then. Progress scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds compared with pupils nationally.

Marlcliffe is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 117 applications for 63 places and 61 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.86. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a forest school, sensory room, music rooms, library, sports hall, and playing fields. Clubs include eco club, science club, film club, drama, gardening and choir, while sports on offer are football, cross country, rounders and athletics. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. With 15.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a broadly representative intake. Marlcliffe will suit families looking for a solidly Good primary in Sheffield that is popular locally and offers strong outdoor and creative enrichment, though those seeking the highest academic outcomes may want to compare with the top-ranked peers in the area.

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