Highcliffe Primary School, Guisborough
Highcliffe Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Guisborough, part of The East Cleveland Co-operative Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 18th-highest of the 43 schools in Redcar and Cleveland with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. It was 57% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Redcar and Cleveland (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Highcliffe Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Highcliffe Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 78% in Redcar and Cleveland and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 80% in reading and 75% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Highcliffe Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Highcliffe Primary School as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Highcliffe Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Highcliffe Primary School are Galley Hill Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 64% reading, 56% maths); Saint Paulinus Catholic Primary School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 63% reading, 63% maths); Belmont Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 77% reading, 88% maths); and Chaloner Primary School (1.2 miles).
Highcliffe Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Galley Hill Primary SchoolSaint Paulinus Catholic Primary School, A Catholic Voluntary AcademyBelmont Primary SchoolChaloner Primary School
The trust
Highcliffe Primary School is one of 2 schools run by The East Cleveland Co-operative Learning Trust, an academy trust.
All 2 schools in The East Cleveland Co-operative Learning Trust
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Highcliffe Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (97%).
Who goes there
0.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 48 pupils (18.5%) received SEN support and 3 (1.2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Great Ayton Rail Station, about 3.2 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Leonards Road South End (a), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Highcliffe Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Highcliffe Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from April 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Highcliffe Primary is an inclusive and welcoming school where pupils behave well and feel happy and safe. The school excels in reading, with a vibrant library culture and high-quality phonics teaching. Parents consistently praise the school for offering a well-rounded education that goes beyond academics, including strong links with the local community and development of important life skills like understanding consent and respect for difference.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading culture with well-resourced library, author visits, and effective phonics teaching
- Excellent early years provision with vibrant environment and skilled adult interactions
- Ambitious, well-designed curriculum in many areas that enables pupils to revisit and build knowledge
- Exceptional personal development including world religions education and community links
- High behaviour expectations that are consistently met, creating a safe and happy learning environment
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent checking of pupils' understanding in some curriculum areas, leading to missed gaps in knowledge
- Lack of clear picture of how recent curriculum changes are impacting pupil progress
- Tasks sometimes not well matched to pupils' current understanding, making activities difficult to access
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
After-school clubs, sports clubs, French lessons, performing arts, author visits, trips to local bookshop, visits to Buddhist temple and mosque, visits to church, school librarian and school councillor roles
Highcliffe Primary School is an inclusive school highly valued by the community, built on strong relationships and values of Respect, Resilience and Responsibility. The school provides an ambitious curriculum and well-rounded education, though some pupils do not attain as well as they could.
At a Glance
30.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 75% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 65% to 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.4
Avg class size
25.3
Infant (KS1)
28.8
KS2
9
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Highcliffe Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Highcliffe Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Highcliffe Primary School is in Redcar and Cleveland; for families living there:
Apply to Redcar and Cleveland for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 0 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
0 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 Redcar and Cleveland is 8 (the median across 66 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
Your chances of a place at Highcliffe Primary School
Will you get a place at Highcliffe Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Highcliffe Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Highcliffe Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Highcliffe Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Redcar and Cleveland, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Highcliffe Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Redcar and Cleveland got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
57%
Available places
241 pupils
420 places
179 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Guisborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Guisborough
Across Redcar and Cleveland council
Places available
1,733
Applications
1,345
Got 1st preference
97.0%
Got preferred school
98.0%
All primary applications across Redcar and Cleveland council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
48
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
19.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
260
Total Pupils
137
Boys
123
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£42,250
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,562
Per pupil
£1548k
Total funding
£136k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
17.1%
Persistent absence
222
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Highcliffe Primary School
Questions parents ask about Highcliffe Primary School
What are SATs results like at Highcliffe Primary School?
Of the pupils at Highcliffe Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Highcliffe Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Highcliffe Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Highcliffe Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Highcliffe Primary School is oversubscribed, Redcar and Cleveland allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Highcliffe Primary School?
Highcliffe Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 57% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Highcliffe Primary School?
Classes at Highcliffe Primary School average 27.4 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Highcliffe Primary School?
Highcliffe Primary School has around 260 pupils on roll. 30% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Highcliffe Primary School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Highcliffe Primary School in 2024/25. 17.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Highcliffe Primary School?
Apply through Redcar and Cleveland's coordinated admissions process, naming Highcliffe Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Highcliffe Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 0 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 0 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 Redcar and Cleveland is 8 (the median across 66 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Highcliffe Primary School?
Highcliffe Primary School is at Hutton Lane, Guisborough, North Yorkshire, TS14 8AA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)