Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School

Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School is performing well overall. Pupils are happy, courteous and highly engaged in a calm, respectful community, and their behaviour is exemplary; early years provision is exceptionally strong. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, reading and phonics are a high priority, and pupils with SEND are carefully identified and supported to access the same curriculum. Governance, trust support and staff collaboration are notable strengths, and safeguarding is effective. This was the school's second routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the headteacher has been in post since January 2023. Leadership has built strong foundations across the school, with particularly effective early years practice and reading support. Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs and leadership roles, and personal development helps them learn about health, safety, tolerance and respect. The main area for improvement is that teachers do not always spot and correct pupils' misconceptions consistently, which can leave gaps in knowledge. Under the current inspection framework, no overall effectiveness grade is given.

Strengths

• Calm, supportive and inclusive community where pupils are happy and feel they belong
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and highly attentive, engaged learning
• Outstanding early years provision with expert curriculum, routines and outdoor learning
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with strong foundations in early years
• Highly effective phonics and reading support so pupils keep up
• Well-designed SEND identification and curriculum adaptations
• Wide extra-curricular and sporting opportunities, including for disadvantaged and SEND pupils
• Strong personal development covering health, safety, tolerance and respect
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Skilled governance and strong trust collaboration and support
• Supportive staff culture with useful collaboration across the open-plan building

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always identify and correct pupils' misconceptions consistently, so gaps in knowledge can persist

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 Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.9% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Clifton With Rawcliffe 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 Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.6% 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, 9.6% of pupils at Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School received £6,017 and spent £6,904 for each of its 603 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £172,000 (£286 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,527 and spending £8,307 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 York · York local authority: places and applications

Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School is part of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• Poppleton Road Primary School York
• New Earswick Primary School York
• Acomb Primary School York
• Heworth Church of England Primary School York
• Huntington Primary Academy York
• Tang Hall Primary Academy York
• Hempland Primary School York
• St Lawrence's Church of England Primary School York
• Applefields School York
• Archbishop Holgate's School, A Church of England Academy York

What is Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School have?

Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School has 622 pupils on roll.

What age range does Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School cover?

Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School?

Clifton With Rawcliffe Primary School is at Eastholme Drive, Rawcliffe, Clifton With Rawcliffe School, York, North Yorkshire, YO30 5TA.