Lift Cottingley, Leeds
Lift Cottingley is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Leeds, part of Lift Schools. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 58th-highest of the 182 schools in Leeds with published results, and 4,096th of 14,452 across England. It was 56% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Leeds (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lift Cottingley in detail
Lift Cottingley 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, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Lift Cottingley reached the expected standard in reading and 85% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Leeds and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (85% in reading, 79% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Lift Cottingley
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put Lift Cottingley as their first choice and 40 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 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 Cottingley are Beeston Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 78% reading, 72% maths); Hugh Gaitskell Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 56% reading, 53% maths); Churwell Primary Academy (0.9 miles); and St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Beeston (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 91% reading, 78% maths).
Lift Cottingley's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Beeston Primary SchoolHugh Gaitskell Primary SchoolChurwell Primary AcademySt Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Beeston
The trust
Lift Cottingley 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
48.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 43.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (40%), Black (32%) and Asian (10%).
In 2026, 61 pupils (25.2%) received SEN support and 7 (2.9%) 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 Cottingley had 16 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 Cottingley Rail Station, about 230 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cottingley Vale, 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lift Cottingley 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 Cottingley issued 9 suspensions, 3.4 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; 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 February 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils in this school are surrounded by caring adults. The respect and care shown by adults to pupils is mirrored in how pupils treat each other. As one pupil said, 'Teachers are kind, they speak to you nicely all the time.' The school is highly ambitious for what they want pupils to achieve academically, but also the type of people they want them to become. Pupils speak about feeling safe. They understand the importance of being considerate and mindful of the feelings and opinions of others.
Staff make sure that pupils follow clear routines around school. Even the youngest pupils in school move calmly and purposefully around the school building. Pupils behave well and work hard. Pupils learn strategies to help them concentrate in lessons. For example, when an adult reads to the class, pupils track this in their books. Pupils are proud of their work. They speak with enthusiasm about their learning in different subjects across the curriculum.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has created an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. At each stage, the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils learn is carefully mapped out. The curriculum is well designed. Pupils build up in-depth knowledge over time. For example, in geography, pupils learn about the climates in different continents. They apply this knowledge to their learning about the Amazon rainforest. The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has recently increased the amount of staff training and support around pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND benefit from the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.
In lessons, staff regularly check what pupils have understood. However, the school does not use this information as well as it could. Sometimes, the school does not address some pupils' misunderstandings or take some pupils' learning further.
From Ofsted's June 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 February 2019 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
48.3%
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 remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 79% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 79% to 85% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.9
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
33.5
KS2
9
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Lift Cottingley
Before and after school care
Lift Cottingley 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 Leeds
Term dates
Lift Cottingley is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Leeds's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lift Cottingley from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift Cottingley is in Leeds; for families living there:
Apply to Leeds for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 27
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 19 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 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 Cottingley
Will you get a place at Lift Cottingley? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift Cottingley's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift Cottingley:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift Cottingley.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leeds, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift Cottingley for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leeds 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
56%
Available places
234 pupils
420 places
186 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leeds
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leeds
Across Leeds council
Places available
10,125
Applications
8,039
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Leeds council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
61
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
28.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
242
Total Pupils
120
Boys
122
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
15.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,425
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,400
Per pupil
£1732k
Total funding
£161k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.9%
Overall absence
15.2%
Persistent absence
230
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
Lift Cottingley
Questions parents ask about Lift Cottingley
What are SATs results like at Lift Cottingley?
Of the pupils at Lift Cottingley who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 85% did so in maths.
What is Lift Cottingley's Ofsted rating?
Lift Cottingley's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lift Cottingley?
No fixed boundary. When Lift Cottingley is oversubscribed, Leeds allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Lift Cottingley?
Lift Cottingley was not full in 2025: it ran at 56% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Lift Cottingley?
Classes at Lift Cottingley average 26.9 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Lift Cottingley?
Lift Cottingley has around 242 pupils on roll. 48% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift Cottingley?
5.9% of sessions were missed at Lift Cottingley in 2024/25. 15.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift Cottingley?
Apply through Leeds's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift Cottingley 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 Cottingley have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Lift Cottingley 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.
How many road collisions happen near Lift Cottingley?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 19 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lift Cottingley?
Lift Cottingley is at Dulverton Grove, Cottingley, Leeds, LS11 0HU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)