Lift Plumberow, Hockley
Lift Plumberow is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Hockley, part of Lift Schools. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 77th-highest of the 388 schools in Essex with published results, and 2,629th of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lift Plumberow in detail
Lift Plumberow 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 Plumberow reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 80% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Lift Plumberow
For September 2026 entry, 85 families put Lift Plumberow as their first choice and 192 named it as one of their preferences, for 88 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 14 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lift Plumberow are Lift Hockley (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 91% reading, 91% maths); Lift Westerings (1 mile, Good, 93% reading, 88% maths); Lift Ashingdon (1 mile, Good, 87% reading, 97% maths); and Holt Farm Infant School (2 miles, Good).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Lift Plumberow.
Lift HockleyLift WesteringsLift AshingdonHolt Farm Infant School
The trust
Lift Plumberow 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
6.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (89%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 44 pupils (7%) received SEN support and 13 (2.1%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hockley Rail Station, about 680 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Orchard Avenue (w-bound), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lift Plumberow stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 44 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
Lift Plumberow recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from March 2014, 12 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 March 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
6.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 80% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 91% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.6
Avg class size
30.4
Infant (KS1)
30.6
KS2
16
Total classes
7 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 Plumberow
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lift Plumberow from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift Plumberow 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 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 Plumberow
Will you get a place at Lift Plumberow? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift Plumberow's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift Plumberow:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift Plumberow.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift Plumberow 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
635 pupils
650 places
15 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hockley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hockley
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
13
EHC Plans
9.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
633
Total Pupils
324
Boys
309
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
32
Teachers
19.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,062
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£3293k
Total funding
£56k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.4%
Overall absence
5.8%
Persistent absence
556
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 Plumberow
Questions parents ask about Lift Plumberow
What are SATs results like at Lift Plumberow?
Of the pupils at Lift Plumberow who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Lift Plumberow's Ofsted rating?
Lift Plumberow's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lift Plumberow?
No fixed boundary. When Lift Plumberow 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 Plumberow?
Lift Plumberow was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Lift Plumberow?
Classes at Lift Plumberow average 30.6 pupils (2025/26). 7 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Lift Plumberow?
Lift Plumberow has around 633 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift Plumberow?
3.4% of sessions were missed at Lift Plumberow in 2024/25. 5.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift Plumberow?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift Plumberow 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.
How many road collisions happen near Lift Plumberow?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 3 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 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 Plumberow?
Lift Plumberow is at Hamilton Gardens, Hockley, Essex, SS5 5BX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)