Lightcliffe Academy

Lightcliffe Academy is a secondary academy within Abbey Multi-Academy Trust that has improved since its previous inspection, when it was judged to require improvement. Inspectors found the school good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The school has a unified vision and is highly ambitious for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Staff are proud to work there, pupils feel safe and welcome, and older pupils recognise positive changes in their experience. The curriculum is well considered and ambitious, and most pupils achieve well. Reading support, SEND provision, attendance and behaviour have all strengthened. Pupils benefit from a strong personal development offer, including careers education, leadership opportunities, trips and clubs. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The report notes that published outcomes do not yet reflect the improved curriculum current pupils experience, and that EBacc uptake at key stage 4 has been low, though more pupils are now beginning to study EBacc subjects. The main areas for improvement concern consistency in teaching and engagement. Some staff do not consistently challenge pupils who are not fully participating in lessons, and some activities are not carefully matched to what pupils need to know and remember. This means some pupils do not benefit as fully as they could from the school’s curriculum improvements.

Strengths

• A unified and ambitious vision is increasingly being realised across the school.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel empowered by recent changes.
• Pupils feel safe, welcomed and able to be themselves.
• The curriculum is well considered and ambitious for all pupils.
• Most pupils achieve well and are prepared for their next steps.
• Most lessons are calm and allow pupils to concentrate on learning.
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and give clear explanations.
• Reading support is a whole-school focus and helps pupils access the curriculum.
• SEND identification and transition arrangements are effective and improving.
• Behaviour has improved and pupils are polite and respectful.
• Attendance has improved notably, including for pupils with a history of poor attendance.
• Personal development is strengthened, with careers education woven through the curriculum.
• Pupils benefit from leadership opportunities, trips, clubs and work on diversity.
• Staff well-being and workload are prioritised and professional development is valued.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff do not consistently challenge pupils who are not fully participating in lessons.
• Some activities are not carefully matched to what pupils need to know and remember.
• As a result, some pupils do not engage as well as they could and do not build on their knowledge as effectively as possible.
• A low proportion of key stage 4 pupils have studied the EBacc suite, although uptake is beginning to rise.
• Published outcomes do not yet reflect the significantly improved curriculum current pupils experience.

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 Lightcliffe Academy attended 90.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 11.7% of pupils at Lightcliffe Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Lightcliffe Academy had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 21.4% of pupils at Lightcliffe Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Lightcliffe Academy received £9,285 and spent £9,152 for each of its 827 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,065,000 (£1,287 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Abbey Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,974 and spending £8,005 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Halifax · Calderdale local authority: places and applications

Lightcliffe Academy is part of Abbey Multi Academy Trust, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Lightcliffe C of E Primary School Halifax
• Christ Church Upper Armley Church of England Primary School Leeds
• Abbey Grange Church of England Academy Leeds
• St Chad's Church of England Primary School Leeds
• Holy Trinity Church of England Academy, Rothwell Leeds
• Bishop Young Church of England Academy Leeds
• Manston St James Primary Academy Leeds

What is Lightcliffe Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lightcliffe Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Lightcliffe Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Lightcliffe Academy was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Lightcliffe Academy have?

Lightcliffe Academy has 788 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lightcliffe Academy cover?

Lightcliffe Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Lightcliffe Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.3, and 25% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Lightcliffe Academy?

Lightcliffe Academy is at Stoney Lane, Lightcliffe, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 8TL.