Lift North Ormesby, Middlesbrough
Lift North Ormesby is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Middlesbrough, part of Lift Schools. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 41st-highest of the 57 schools in Middlesbrough with published results, and 10,716th of 14,452 across England. It was 87% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
- 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 Middlesbrough (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lift North Ormesby in detail
Lift North Ormesby 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, 66% of Year 6 pupils at Lift North Ormesby reached the expected standard in reading and 72% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in Middlesbrough and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 74% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Lift North Ormesby
For September 2026 entry, 20 families put Lift North Ormesby as their first choice and 39 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 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 North Ormesby are St Alphonsus' Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 79% reading, 83% maths); Breckon Hill Primary School (0.5 miles, 76% reading, 82% maths); Abingdon Primary School (0.7 miles, 68% reading, 74% maths); and Berwick Hills Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 62% reading, 51% maths).
Lift North Ormesby's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Alphonsus' Catholic Primary SchoolBreckon Hill Primary SchoolAbingdon Primary SchoolBerwick Hills Primary School
The trust
Lift North Ormesby 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.
What parents say
23 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lift North Ormesby (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 87% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Who goes there
48.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 47.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (33%), Black (30%) and other ethnic groups (6%).
In 2026, 29 pupils (12.4%) received SEN support and 7 (3%) 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 Middlesbrough Rail Station - main ent, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Market Place (f), 280 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lift North Ormesby 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 North Ormesby issued 6 suspensions, 2.4 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; 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
Middlesbrough published that the last place for 2023 entry went to a family 1.465 miles away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2015, 11 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?
This school welcomes pupils of many different nationalities. A considerable number of pupils join the school part way through their education. Many are learning English for the first time. Staff are highly skilled in crafting relationships with new pupils and their families. Young interpreters help those who are new to the school feel at home. Pupils are happy here.
Staff use the school mascot 'TIM' to promote high expectations in behaviour, attendance and academic learning. Pupils respond very well to this. Pupils feel safe in school. They know that they can always talk to an adult if they are concerned about anything. The school is a calm place, where pupils behave well, showing courtesy and respect to each other. Lessons are a hive of learning as pupils engage in discussions and work through their tasks. Pupils achieve well and have solid foundations for their next stage of education.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school prioritises a love of reading. By Year 6, pupils develop effective comprehension and fluency skills. There are many inviting reading spaces, including outdoors in the early years. Staff are well trained in teaching pupils to read. This ensures that there is a consistent approach from the Reception Year onwards. Children in the Nursery Year learn to listen well so that they can identify sounds. Although the vast majority of pupils build their phonics knowledge well, a few pupils are less secure. The books that some pupils read are not matched sufficiently well to the sounds that they know. This hinders their reading fluency.
This school takes the right actions to improve the quality of the curriculum. For example, the curriculum for mathematics has been redesigned. The changes in the way that multiplication is taught have increased pupil confidence and raised their achievement. Similarly, in history, there is now more of a focus on learning about chronology. Teachers have a clear understanding of what should be taught and when. They also have a bank of resources that reduces their workload.
From Ofsted's October 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 Outstanding at its May 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
48.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
23 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 declined from 74% to 66% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 77% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.8
Avg class size
24.7
Infant (KS1)
32.0
KS2
5
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Lift North Ormesby
Before and after school care
Lift North Ormesby 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
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lift North Ormesby from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift North Ormesby 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
- 3
- Children hurt
- 4
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, 3 serious and 10 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 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 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 North Ormesby
Will you get a place at Lift North Ormesby? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift North Ormesby's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift North Ormesby:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift North Ormesby.
- Last distance offered for 2022 and 2023 entry, from Middlesbrough's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift North Ormesby 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
87%
Available places
231 pupils
267 places
36 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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
15.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
233
Total Pupils
131
Boys
102
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
16.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,289
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,521
Per pupil
£1836k
Total funding
£186k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
22.5%
Persistent absence
227
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 North Ormesby
Questions parents ask about Lift North Ormesby
What are SATs results like at Lift North Ormesby?
Of the pupils at Lift North Ormesby who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 66% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is Lift North Ormesby's Ofsted rating?
Lift North Ormesby's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
How close to Lift North Ormesby do you need to live?
Middlesbrough publishes how far the last offered place was, in miles: 2.583 for 2022 entry, then 1.465 for 2023 entry. The cut-off has tightened over that period, which usually means demand is growing faster than places. These are the authority's own figures, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications each year.
Is it hard to get a place at Lift North Ormesby?
Lift North Ormesby was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 267 places.
How big are the classes at Lift North Ormesby?
Classes at Lift North Ormesby average 23.8 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Lift North Ormesby?
Lift North Ormesby has around 233 pupils on roll. 49% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift North Ormesby?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Lift North Ormesby in 2024/25. 22.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift North Ormesby?
Apply through Middlesbrough's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift North Ormesby 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 North Ormesby have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Lift North Ormesby 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 North Ormesby?
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, 3 serious and 10 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 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 Middlesbrough is 14 (the median across 64 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lift North Ormesby?
Lift North Ormesby is at James Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, TS3 6LB.
Sources: Middlesbrough admissions booklets; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)