Cliffedale Primary School

Cliffedale Primary School is performing well overall, consistently achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspection categories. The school fosters an inclusive and supportive environment where pupils feel valued and motivated to excel in their studies. Most students exhibit strong behavior and positive attitudes toward learning, benefiting from a redeveloped curriculum that enhances their educational experience. The engagement of parents and carers further highlights the effectiveness of leadership at the school, which has positively progressed since the last inspection.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud to attend the inclusive and friendly environment of Cliffedale.
• The school has a well-structured curriculum that promotes logical learning progressions.
• Early years provision offers a nurturing environment that fosters independence.
• Staff demonstrate good subject knowledge and model effective learning strategies.
• There is a strong focus on personal development and character education.

Areas for Improvement

• Staff do not always check closely enough on pupils' progress during lessons.
• Some activities selected by staff do not align well with the curriculum needs of pupils.

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 Cliffedale Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.3% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Cliffedale Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 Cliffedale Primary School had 22.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.1% 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, 14.8% of pupils at Cliffedale Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 Cliffedale Primary School received £6,796 and spent £6,646 for each of its 284 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £34,000 (£118 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 Grantham · Lincolnshire local authority: places and applications

What is Cliffedale Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cliffedale Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Cliffedale Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cliffedale Primary School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Cliffedale Primary School have?

Cliffedale Primary School has 284 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cliffedale Primary School cover?

Cliffedale Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cliffedale Primary School?

Cliffedale Primary School is at Northcliffe Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 8DP.