West Cliff Primary School
Church Square, Whitby, YO21 3EG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- YORKSHIRE ENDEAVOUR ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Oliver Long
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Scarborough and Whitby
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 159
- URN
- 144681
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01947602510
About this school
West Cliff Primary School is a primary academy in Whitby. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 159 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected West Cliff Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 29 | 28 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 54% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 11% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 57% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 68% | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 66% | 61% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 101.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How West Cliff Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | North Yorkshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 48% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 54% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 211 |
| 2023/24 | 215 |
| 2024/25 | 198 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How West Cliff Primary School compares
West Cliff Primary School ranked 130th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 6.1% | 19.5% | 159 | — |
| Stakesby Primary Academy | 74% | 5.3% | 32.4% | 212 | 0.5 miles |
| Airy Hill Primary School | 85% | 6.2% | 31.3% | 185 | 0.7 miles |
| East Whitby Primary Academy | 69% | 5.6% | 43% | 197 | 1.2 miles |
| Ruswarp Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | — | 6.4% | 13.3% | 36 | 1.3 miles |
| Hawsker Cum Stainsacre Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 22% | 4.9% | 32.6% | 55 | 2.5 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 19.54%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 6.13%
- Persistent absence
- 18.92%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Stakesby Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Whitby
-
Airy Hill Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Whitby
-
East Whitby Primary Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Whitby
-
Ruswarp Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Whitby
- 2.5 miles
Other schools in Whitby
West Cliff Primary School ranks 5th of the 11 ranked primary schools in Whitby.
- Airy Hill Primary School Primary
- Castleton Primary School Primary
- Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School Primary
- East Whitby Primary Academy Primary
- Egton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Fylingdales Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Glaisdale Primary School Primary
- Goathland Primary School Primary
- Hawsker Cum Stainsacre Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Lealholm Primary School Primary
- Lythe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Ruswarp Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does West Cliff Primary School teach?
- West Cliff Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Whitby.
- Who is the headteacher of West Cliff Primary School?
- The headteacher of West Cliff Primary School is Mr Oliver Long, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has West Cliff Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected West Cliff Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at West Cliff Primary School?
- West Cliff Primary School has 159 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is West Cliff Primary School full?
- West Cliff Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 159 on roll (76%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is West Cliff Primary School a faith school?
- No. West Cliff Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does West Cliff Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records West Cliff Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is West Cliff Primary School part of an academy trust?
- West Cliff Primary School is part of YORKSHIRE ENDEAVOUR ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does West Cliff Primary School have?
- The schools register lists West Cliff Primary School's special educational needs provision as: SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have West Cliff Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does West Cliff Primary School compare with other schools in North Yorkshire?
- West Cliff Primary School ranked 130th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is West Cliff Primary School's absence rate?
- West Cliff Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are West Cliff Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, West Cliff Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 10 July 2026.