Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre

Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre continues to demonstrate solid performance, maintaining its good status from the previous inspection in March 2017. Leaders hold high expectations for all pupils, encouraging personal growth through a well-defined set of values known as the 6Rs. The curriculum is effectively designed to build knowledge systematically, with staff providing strong support for pupils, including those with special educational needs. Positive relationships between staff and students underpin a collaborative learning environment, and most parents express satisfaction with the school's efforts to support their children. However, there are minor areas for improvement, particularly regarding curriculum plans in a few subjects where learning steps are not fully articulated. Additionally, some reading support practices do not consistently foster the best outcomes for pupils, which leaders aim to address. The school's commitment to safeguarding is commendable, ensuring students feel secure and valued.

Strengths

• Leaders have high ambition for every pupil.
• Curriculum plans identify essential 'sticky knowledge'.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Positive relationships based on mutual respect.
• Effective personal, social and health education curriculum.
• Engagement in social projects and charity work.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum plans in some subjects lack precise learning steps.
• Inconsistent support during one-to-one reading sessions.

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 Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.3% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre 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 Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre had 20.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.2% 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, 10.6% of pupils at Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre received £5,980 and spent £6,450 for each of its 405 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £619,000 (£1,529 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Lionheart Educational Trust, income was £7,656 and spending £7,419 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 Leicester · Leicestershire local authority: places and applications

Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre is part of Lionheart Educational Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Hallam Fields, Birstall Leicester
• Riverside Community Primary School Birstall Leicester
• The Cedars Academy Leicester
• The Martin High School Anstey Leicester
• Beauchamp City Sixth Form Leicester
• Judgemeadow Community College Leicester
• Sir Jonathan North Girls' College Leicester
• Humphrey Perkins School Loughborough
• Brocks Hill Primary School Leicester
• Beauchamp College Leicester

What is Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre last inspected by Ofsted?

Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre have?

Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre has 407 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre cover?

Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre?

Highcliffe Primary School and Community Centre is at Greengate Lane, Birstall, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE4 3DL.