Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #11 in Calderdale public Top 39% UK

Lightcliffe Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Joanne Hackett

corporate_fareABBEY MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

location_onHalifax, HX3 8TL

language Visit Website phone 1422201028

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

977

trending_up

Attainment 8

38.5

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#11 in Calderdale

#2,738 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Lightcliffe Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Halifax, serving ages 11-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

article

School Summary

Lightcliffe Academy is an academy sponsor led in Halifax, Calderdale, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of ABBEY MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 820 pupils on roll, of whom 33% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 38.5, placing the school #11 in Calderdale and #2,738 of 3,216 nationally. 25.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 6.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.6× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.4:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 13.3 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

38.5

Grade 5+ E&M

25.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)6.4%

Entering EBacc20.60%

EBacc APS3.16

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.37

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc4.90%

EBacc APS3.09

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.43

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS3.32

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.37

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.46

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc43%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.43

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc23%

EBacc APS3.27

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.42

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS3.58

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships10%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships11%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 September 2024

Inspection Report

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16 March 2022

Inspection Report

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30 November 2021

Inspection Report

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23 June 2021

Inspection Report

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10 February 2021

Inspection Report

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19 November 2020

Inspection Report

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26 February 2020

Inspection Report

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15 October 2019

Inspection Report

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06 November 2018

Inspection Report

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01 March 2016

Inspection Report

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04 November 2015

Inspection Report

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12 May 2015

Inspection Report

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20 January 2015

Inspection Report

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16 September 2014

Inspection Report

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21 May 2014

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

6 Evaluations

2024-09-24

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2022-03-16

Schools into Special Measures Visit 5 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2018-11-06

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

2016-03-01

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-11-04

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2014-05-21

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

Inadequate

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Inadequate

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

12.3%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

7.1%(58 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 820 pupils. During this period, there were 101 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 12.3%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	820	101	12.3%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	822	118	14.4%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	902	118	13.1%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	916	146	15.9%	7.1%	6
2023/24 (Autumn term)	932	184	19.7%	8.2%	4
2022/23 (Summer term)	981	32	3.3%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	977	44	4.5%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	977	59	6.0%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,048	58	5.5%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,041	66	6.3%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,052	59	5.6%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,162	77	6.6%	3.6%	2
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,162	29	2.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,164	41	3.5%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,295	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,295	75	5.8%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,305	67	5.1%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,375	102	7.4%	3.1%	2
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,393	100	7.2%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,395	47	3.4%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,416	36	2.5%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,433	23	1.6%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,446	41	2.8%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,415	40	2.8%	3.0%	2
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,425	96	6.7%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,443	66	4.6%	3.1%	3

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 40 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 40 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 34 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 14 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 14 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 9 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

70.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

74.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

12.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree22%

agree46%

disagree15%

strongly disagree15%

don't know2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree21%

agree50%

disagree17%

strongly disagree11%

don't know1%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree32%

agree22%

disagree16%

strongly disagree16%

not applicable15%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes34%

no66%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree25%

agree14%

disagree18%

strongly disagree39%

dont know4%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree30%

agree43%

disagree9%

strongly disagree12%

don't know6%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree32%

agree37%

disagree10%

strongly disagree16%

don't know6%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree26%

agree45%

disagree17%

strongly disagree10%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree33%

agree50%

disagree9%

strongly disagree2%

don't know6%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree29%

agree50%

disagree10%

strongly disagree6%

don't know5%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree29%

agree35%

disagree16%

strongly disagree13%

don't know6%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes65%

no35%

Top Secondary Schools in Calderdale

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

The Crossley Heath School

Good

location_on Halifax, HX3 0HG

emoji_events #1 in LA

The North Halifax Grammar School

Good

location_on Halifax, HX2 9SU

emoji_events #2 in LA

Rastrick High School

Good

location_on Brighouse, HD6 3XB

emoji_events #3 in LA

The Brooksbank School

Inadequate

location_on Elland, HX5 0QG

emoji_events #4 in LA

Ryburn Valley High School

Good

location_on Sowerby Bridge, HX6 1DF

emoji_events #5 in LA

Trinity Academy Grammar

Good

location_on Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2NW

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Calderdale arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Calderdale

The Crossley Heath School

The North Halifax Grammar School

Rastrick High School

The Brooksbank School

Ryburn Valley High School

Trinity Academy Grammar