Lift Caldicotes

Caldicotes Primary Academy is a good school overall, with inspectors judging quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all to be good, and early years provision outstanding. The inspection was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school is a slightly smaller-than-average primary in Middlesbrough serving pupils aged 2 to 11, including two- and three-year-olds in its early years provision, and it is part of the Lift Schools multi-academy trust (formerly Academies Enterprise Trust). The strongest feature is the early years, where children get off to a flying start thanks to exceptionally well-adapted provision, high expectations and a carefully designed curriculum that prepares them well for Year 1. Reading is at the heart of the curriculum and is taught highly effectively, with pupils achieving well, and pupils with SEND have their needs accurately assessed and met. Behaviour is calm and positive, relationships are caring, and pupils benefit from a structured personal development programme and a wide range of wider opportunities, while staff value the support of leaders and the trust. The main areas for improvement concern the curriculum in some subjects, which has been introduced relatively recently and does not always build securely on prior learning, with assessment not consistently used to identify and address gaps. Pupils' oracy is also uneven, with many struggling to explain their thinking or use subject vocabulary, and their knowledge of other faiths, cultures and beliefs is limited. Attendance systems are clear and many pupils attend well, but some still miss valuable learning time.

Strengths

• Early years provision is outstanding, with children exceptionally well supported to become confident, independent learners
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum and taught highly effectively, with pupils achieving well
• Pupils with SEND have their needs accurately assessed and well-considered provision put in place
• The curriculum is broad and aspirational for all pupils
• Clear, consistent behaviour routines create a positive and calm atmosphere for learning
• The CLAP initiative makes breaktimes purposeful, exciting and inclusive
• A structured PSRHE programme helps pupils discuss relationships, safety and growing up confidently
• Staff feel supported by leaders on workload and value trust coaching and support
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, clubs and wider opportunities
• Leaders, including trust leaders, have created a culture of continuous improvement

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject curriculums are new, so new learning does not always build on what pupils already know
• Teachers do not consistently check prior knowledge or use assessment to address gaps in learning
• Many pupils struggle to talk about what they know or explain their thinking, and oracy is uneven across subjects
• Pupils' knowledge and understanding of other faiths, cultures and beliefs is limited
• Some pupils still miss valuable learning time because of poor attendance

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 Lift Caldicotes attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.7% 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 Lift Caldicotes 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 Lift Caldicotes had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 25.6% of pupils at Lift Caldicotes were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 2024–25 Lift Caldicotes received £8,104 and spent £8,171 for each of its 235 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £189,000 (£803 per pupil).

Across all 59 schools of Lift Schools, income was £8,746 and spending £8,644 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 Middlesbrough · Middlesbrough local authority: places and applications

Lift Caldicotes is part of Lift Schools, which runs 62 schools. The nearest others:

• Lift Unity City Middlesbrough
• Lift North Ormesby Middlesbrough
• Lift Cottingley Leeds
• Lift Feversham Bradford
• Lift Kingswood Hull
• Lift Green Way Hull
• Lift Hall Road Hull
• Lift Newington Hull
• Lift Meadstead Barnsley
• Lift Shafton Barnsley

What is Lift Caldicotes's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lift Caldicotes is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Lift Caldicotes last inspected by Ofsted?

Lift Caldicotes was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Lift Caldicotes have?

Lift Caldicotes has 234 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lift Caldicotes cover?

Lift Caldicotes for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Lift Caldicotes's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lift Caldicotes?

Lift Caldicotes is at Spencerfield Crescent, Middlesbrough, TS3 9HD.