Lift Caldicotes, Middlesbrough
Lift Caldicotes is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Middlesbrough, part of Lift Schools. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 16th-highest of the 57 schools in Middlesbrough with published results, and 2,822nd of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Middlesbrough (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lift Caldicotes in detail
Lift Caldicotes in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at Lift Caldicotes reached the expected standard in reading and 88% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in Middlesbrough and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 70% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Lift Caldicotes
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put Lift Caldicotes as their first choice and 29 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lift Caldicotes are St Margaret Clitherows RC Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 56% reading, 66% maths); South Bank Community Primary School (0.4 miles, Requires improvement, 54% reading, 35% maths); Brambles Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 84% reading, 89% maths); and Thorntree Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 82% reading, 76% maths).
Lift Caldicotes's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
St Margaret Clitherows RC Primary SchoolSouth Bank Community Primary SchoolBrambles Primary AcademyThorntree Academy
The trust
Lift Caldicotes is one of 62 schools run by Lift Schools, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
62% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 60 pupils (25.6%) received SEN support and 4 (1.7%) 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.
Staffing
Lift Caldicotes had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is South Bank Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cleveland Retail Park (a), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lift Caldicotes stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Lift Caldicotes issued 4 suspensions, 1.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lift Caldicotes are St Peter's Catholic College (0.6 miles), Outwood Academy Normanby (0.7 miles), Outwood Academy Ormesby (0.9 miles) and Lift Unity City (1 mile).
St Peter's Catholic CollegeOutwood Academy NormanbyOutwood Academy OrmesbyLift Unity City
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2012, 14 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Caldicotes Primary Academy supports and encourages every pupil to achieve their full potential. Starting in the early years, pupils learn to respect everyone and to take pride in their learning. Pupils know that their teachers really care about them and expect them to try hard. Pupils achieve well, especially in reading.
The school has high expectations for behaviour. Clear and consistent routines help children in the early years to settle into school very well. These same routines help to maintain a positive and calm atmosphere for learning. As a result, most pupils behave very well. For those pupils who need extra support, adults help them to manage their behaviour. The school has recently introduced 'CLAP' (Caldicotes Learning and Play) to support better behaviour at breaktimes. Play is purposeful and exciting. Calm spaces have been created for those pupils who prefer to read or play board games.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school wants every pupil to succeed. The curriculum is broad and aspirational for all pupils. The learning needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately assessed, and well-considered provision is put in place. As a result, teachers meet the needs of individual pupils well and pupils make good progress.
Children get off to a flying start in the early years. They are exceptionally well supported to develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with additional needs. The curriculum is carefully designed to ensure children gain the essential knowledge they need to be ready for Year 1. Staff think carefully about next steps for every child. They adapt learning opportunities exceptionally well to ensure there are no barriers to achievement. As a result, children in Reception quickly become confident and independent learners. They talk eagerly about their learning and concentrate well during more formal parts of the day.
From Ofsted's September 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2012 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
62.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 70% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 78% to 88% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 74% to 92% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.0
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Lift Caldicotes
Before and after school care
Lift Caldicotes is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Middlesbrough
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Lift Caldicotes.
- The 3 O'clock ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lift Caldicotes from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift Caldicotes is in Middlesbrough; for families living there:
Apply to Middlesbrough for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 8 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
3 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 Middlesbrough is 14 (the median across 64 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 Lift Caldicotes
Will you get a place at Lift Caldicotes? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift Caldicotes's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift Caldicotes:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift Caldicotes.
- Middlesbrough publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Lift Caldicotes that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift Caldicotes for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Middlesbrough 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
92%
Near capacity
194 pupils
210 places
16 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Middlesbrough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Middlesbrough
Across Middlesbrough council
Places available
2,055
Applications
1,593
Got 1st preference
96.3%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Middlesbrough council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
60
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
27.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
234
Total Pupils
115
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
18.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,640
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,926
Per pupil
£1624k
Total funding
£214k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.6%
Overall absence
20.7%
Persistent absence
174
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
Questions parents ask about Lift Caldicotes
What are SATs results like at Lift Caldicotes?
Of the pupils at Lift Caldicotes who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 88% did so in maths.
What is Lift Caldicotes's Ofsted rating?
Lift Caldicotes's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lift Caldicotes?
No fixed boundary. When Lift Caldicotes is oversubscribed, Middlesbrough allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Lift Caldicotes?
Lift Caldicotes was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Lift Caldicotes?
Classes at Lift Caldicotes average 28 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Lift Caldicotes?
Lift Caldicotes has around 234 pupils on roll. 62% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift Caldicotes?
6.6% of sessions were missed at Lift Caldicotes in 2024/25. 20.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift Caldicotes?
Apply through Middlesbrough's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift Caldicotes 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.
Does Lift Caldicotes have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Lift Caldicotes is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: The 3 O'clock Club (registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Lift Caldicotes?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 8 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 3 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 Middlesbrough is 14 (the median across 64 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lift Caldicotes?
Lift Caldicotes is at Spencerfield Crescent, Middlesbrough, TS3 9HD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)