Rawcliffe Primary School

Rawcliffe Primary School is a small, friendly school where pupils are happy and feel safe. Inspectors found effective provision in most areas, with a broad and ambitious curriculum, strong phonics teaching, well-sequenced learning in subjects such as mathematics, and good support for pupils with SEND. Behaviour and personal development are also strengths: relationships are respectful, pupils are helped to manage behaviour, and the school prepares them well for life beyond school through enrichment, pupil roles and safety education. Safeguarding is effective. However, early years provision requires improvement. The ambitious early years curriculum is not delivered consistently: children have too few opportunities to be creative and independent, some tasks do not build well on prior learning, and there is not enough focus on developing language and vocabulary through high-quality adult interactions during play. This leaves some children less well prepared for the next stage. Context matters: the school has experienced staffing disruption, and recent leadership changes have brought greater stability. The executive headteacher joined in April 2024, and the school is federated with Rawcliffe Bridge Primary School. This was its first routine inspection since the pandemic. Leaders and governors have a detailed view of the school and are making improvements, but some parents, including parents of pupils with SEND, report that communication is too variable and does not give them a clear understanding of their child’s experience.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and respectful in a small, friendly school.
• Staff build positive relationships and support pupils who need help managing behaviour.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and well sequenced in many subjects.
• Reading is a priority, with highly trained staff teaching phonics well and supporting pupils to catch up.
• Mathematics teaching introduces concepts clearly and gives pupils regular chances to revisit learning.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively to access the curriculum.
• Personal development is strong, including online safety, healthy relationships and first aid.
• Enrichment includes sporting competitions, visits and pupil leadership roles.
• Governors have a detailed picture of the school and hold leaders to account effectively.
• Recent leadership changes have brought increased stability and consistency.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Communication with parents is too variable, leaving some parents unclear about their child’s school experience.
• Parents of pupils with SEND do not always receive the information they need.
• The early years curriculum is not delivered consistently.
• Early years children have limited opportunities to be creative and develop independence.
• Some early years tasks do not build effectively on what children already know.
• Early years provision does not focus enough on developing language and vocabulary.
• Children miss out on practising ambitious vocabulary and high-quality adult interactions during play.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Rawcliffe Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.0% of pupils at Rawcliffe Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Rawcliffe Primary School had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.9% of pupils at Rawcliffe Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Rawcliffe Primary School received £8,537 and spent £8,887 for each of its 91 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £49,000 (£539 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Goole · East Riding of Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Rawcliffe Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rawcliffe Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Rawcliffe Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rawcliffe Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Rawcliffe Primary School have?

Rawcliffe Primary School has 91 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rawcliffe Primary School cover?

Rawcliffe Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Rawcliffe Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 24% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Rawcliffe Primary School?

Rawcliffe Primary School is at Ridding Lane, Rawcliffe, Only Through School Opening Hours/Term Time Only Please, Goole, DN14 8RG.