Hall Cliffe School, Wakefield
Hall Cliffe School is a special school for pupils aged 8 to 17 in Wakefield. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2025. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hall Cliffe School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Hall Cliffe School are Denby Grange School (2.5 miles); Highfield School (2.6 miles, Good); Hall Cliffe Primary School (2.7 miles, Outstanding); and Camphill Wakefield (Pennine Camphill Community Ltd) (2.8 miles, Requires improvement).
Denby Grange SchoolHighfield SchoolHall Cliffe Primary SchoolCamphill Wakefield (Pennine Camphill Community Ltd)
What parents say
22 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hall Cliffe School (as of September 2025): 64% would recommend the school, 68% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (68%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Hall Cliffe School has an education, health and care plan (83 of 86 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wakefield Westgate Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Northgate Honley Square, 170 metres away.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 11 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
- Part 1: quality of educationNot met
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementNot met
Progress-monitoring inspection, 20 November 2025: The school met all the standards Ofsted checked.
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hall Cliffe School has made impressive improvements in teaching quality and curriculum design since its last inspection. Teachers now plan lessons that meet each pupil's individual needs and build knowledge in a logical way, with pupils showing real interest and commitment to learning. The school has invested in staff training and leadership development to ensure high-quality teaching across all subjects, particularly in phonics and writing skills.
Key Strengths
- Curriculum now provides well-sequenced knowledge with appropriate content on writing, sentence structures and grammar
- Teachers use assessment effectively to check understanding and give helpful feedback to guide pupil improvement
- Expert phonics teaching helps pupils at early stages of reading become confident and fluent readers
- Senior and subject leaders have strong knowledge and skills with effective quality assurance systems in place
- School has strengthened leadership and management with appropriate professional development for all leaders
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with proper pre-employment checks in place and safeguarding policy available to parents and carers.
Hall Cliffe School is an independent special school for pupils aged 9 to 16 with various special educational needs. The school has made significant improvements since its previous inspection and now meets all checked independent school standards.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
22 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Hall Cliffe School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
83%
Available places
86 pupils
104 places
18 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Wakefield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wakefield
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,300
Applications
3,912
Got 1st preference
90.7%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All secondary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
Independent school Progress Monitoring inspection
Outcome: the school met all the standards Ofsted checked.
Independent School standard inspection
Did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education) and Part 8 (leadership and management).
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
83
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Hall Cliffe School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
86
Total Pupils
72
Boys
14
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Hall Cliffe School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Hall Cliffe School
What are GCSE results like at Hall Cliffe School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Hall Cliffe School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Hall Cliffe School's Ofsted rating?
Hall Cliffe School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2025, it was rated Requires Improvement.
Does Hall Cliffe School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in June 2025, Hall Cliffe School did not meet the independent school standards in Part 1 (quality of education) and Part 8 (leadership and management). At a later progress-monitoring inspection in November 2025, the school met all the standards Ofsted checked.
How many pupils go to Hall Cliffe School?
Hall Cliffe School has around 86 pupils on roll.
Does Hall Cliffe School have specialist SEN provision?
Hall Cliffe School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Hall Cliffe School?
Hall Cliffe School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Hall Cliffe School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 10 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hall Cliffe School?
Hall Cliffe School is at Dovecote Lane, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 6BB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)