Lift Maltings, Witham

Ofsted's report card from its 24 March 2026 inspection grades Lift Maltings on 6 areas: 4 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Most pupils attend school regularly."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The curriculum is ambitious and thoughtfully designed."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have acted promptly to continue to improve the quality of the school's offer following a period of turbulence."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school's well-planned personal development programme makes a positive difference to daily life in school."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Over time, pupils' attainment and progress in GCSE examinations at the end of key stage 4 have been low."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Some pupils have mixed experiences in their learning."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that consistently high-quality teaching leads to improved standards of achievement for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils"; "Leaders should ensure they continue to support staff in implementing reasonable adjustments and adaptations to the curriculum, so that pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged consistently receive the precise support they need"; "Leaders should continue to embed the school's approaches to teaching, including ensuring all teachers use their checks on learning consistently well to address any gaps in pupils' knowledge"; "Leaders and the trust should continue to work closely with families to strengthen their systems for identifying and removing barriers to pupils' attendance, so that more pupils attend school regularly".

The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.

In 2026, pupils at Lift Maltings averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Essex and 47 across England.

38% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Essex and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 39.9.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.64: pupils made well 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 30.7, against 43 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Business Studies and History.

For September 2026 entry, 105 families put Lift Maltings as their first choice and 204 named it as one of their preferences, for 128 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 Lift Maltings are Lift New Rickstones (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.5); Plume School (5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.2); and Notley High School and Sixth Form (6 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 46.1).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Lift Maltings.

Lift Maltings is one of 62 schools run by Lift Schools, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.7 in 2024/25.

90 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lift Maltings (as of April 2026): 62% would recommend the school, 64% say their child is happy there and 46% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (70%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (46%).

Of the 171 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 73% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 43% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 7% into work.

Of the 34 students who left the sixth form in 2022/23, 24% went on to university or other higher education, 15% to apprenticeships and 26% into work.

7.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%) and Mixed (8%).

Lift Maltings had 39 teachers in 2026, one for every 21 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Witham (Essex) Rail Station, about 1110 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Spinks Lane (nw-bound), 70 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 171 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Lift Maltings issued 198 suspensions, 23.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Lift Maltings are Howbridge Infant School (0.4 miles), Howbridge Church of England Junior School (0.4 miles), Holy Family Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles) and Chipping Hill Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.