Lift New Rickstones, Witham
Lift New Rickstones is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Witham, part of Lift Schools. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 50th-highest of the 80 schools in Essex with published results, and 2,247th of 3,298 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lift New Rickstones in detail
Lift New Rickstones 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 2026, pupils at Lift New Rickstones averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.5 in Essex and 47 across England.
40% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 45% in Essex and 47% in England.
That is up from 40.6 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.43: pupils made 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 32.2, against 46.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.7 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Physical Education.
Getting a place at Lift New Rickstones
For September 2026 entry, 196 families put Lift New Rickstones as their first choice and 403 named it as one of their preferences, for 215 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 secondary schools to Lift New Rickstones are Lift Maltings (1.5 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.6); Alec Hunter Academy (4.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.1); Honywood School (4.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.1); and Notley High School and Sixth Form (4.9 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 46.1).
Lift New Rickstones's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Lift MaltingsAlec Hunter AcademyHonywood SchoolNotley High School and Sixth Form
The trust
Lift New Rickstones 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.
Where pupils go next
Of the 177 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 78% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 45% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.
Of the 50 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 30% went on to university or other higher education, 10% to apprenticeships and 44% into work.
Who goes there
4.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Witham (Essex) Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Virgil Road (opposite), 90 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Lift New Rickstones issued 211 suspensions, 17.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Lift New Rickstones are Elm Hall Primary School (under 0.1 miles), Templars Academy (0.3 miles), Rivenhall Church of England Primary School (1 mile) and Acorn Infant Academy (1 mile). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Elm Hall Primary SchoolTemplars AcademyRivenhall Church of England Primary SchoolAcorn Infant Academy
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 destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from May 2018, 8 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 Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
27.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.18 to -0.43 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 44.2 to 42.5 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 40% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 42.5 | 39.8% |
| Disadvantaged(54) | - | 32.2 | 22.2% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(127) | - | 46.9 | 47.2% |
| Boys(92) | - | 39.5 | 37% |
| Girls(89) | - | 45.6 | 42.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(8) | - | 58.1 | 75% |
| Non mobile(176) | - | 43.7 | 40.9% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 6 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 177 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.17%
Exclusion rate
211
Suspensions
17.52%
Suspension rate
87 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,204 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Lift New Rickstones
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lift New Rickstones from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift New Rickstones is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 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 New Rickstones
Will you get a place at Lift New Rickstones? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift New Rickstones's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift New Rickstones:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift New Rickstones.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift New Rickstones for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
1,181 pupils
1,382 places
201 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Witham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Witham
Across Essex council
Places available
17,590
Applications
16,568
Got 1st preference
83.4%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
205
SEN Support
50
EHC Plans
20.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,221
Total Pupils
649
Boys
572
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
73
Teachers
16.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,881
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,958
Per pupil
£8406k
Total funding
£358k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.2%
Overall absence
23.2%
Persistent absence
1,120
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Lift New Rickstones
What are GCSE results like at Lift New Rickstones?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Lift New Rickstones achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.5. 40% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Lift New Rickstones's Ofsted rating?
Lift New Rickstones's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lift New Rickstones?
No fixed boundary. When Lift New Rickstones is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Lift New Rickstones?
Lift New Rickstones was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 1382 places.
How big are the classes at Lift New Rickstones?
Classes at Lift New Rickstones average 24.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Lift New Rickstones?
Lift New Rickstones has around 1221 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift New Rickstones?
9.2% of sessions were missed at Lift New Rickstones in 2024/25. 23.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift New Rickstones?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift New Rickstones on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Lift New Rickstones?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lift New Rickstones?
Lift New Rickstones is at Conrad Road, Witham, Essex, CM8 2SD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)