Clifton Community School, Rotherham

From the headteacher's welcome: "Clifton Community School is an 11-16 school with over 1100 pupils on roll. We consider ourselves to be a genuine comprehensive school, catering for students of a wide range of abilities, needs, aspirations and backgrounds. The school is part of the WPT (Wickersley Partnership Trust), a growing family of like-minded secondary and primary schools."

In 2026, pupils at Clifton Community School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.9 in Rotherham and 47 across England.

32% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 41% in Rotherham and 47% in England.

That is up from 29.4 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.44: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 30.8, against 48.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Statistics, Art and Design and Combined Science.

For September 2026 entry, 128 families put Clifton Community School as their first choice and 186 named it as one of their preferences, for 187 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Clifton Community School are St Bernard's Catholic High School (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.3); Oakwood High School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47); Wingfield Academy (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.1); and Thrybergh Academy (2.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 34.6).

Clifton Community School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Clifton Community School is one of 13 schools run by Wickersley Partnership Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.5 in 2024/25.

34 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Clifton Community School (as of September 2025): 44% would recommend the school, 53% say their child is happy there and 38% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (68%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (38%).

Of the 191 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 79% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 55% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

63.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 46.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (29%), Asian (22%) and Black (9%).

In 2026, 282 pupils (24.6%) received SEN support and 46 (4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Parkgate, about 1180 metres away (roughly a 15-minute walk).

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Middle Lane/Cambridge Street (adjacent), 100 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Clifton Community School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 603 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Rotherham (146), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Clifton Community School issued 329 suspensions, 29.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 9 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Clifton Community School are East Dene Primary (0.3 miles), St Ann's Primary School (0.3 miles), Coleridge Primary (0.4 miles) and Badsley Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.