Lightcliffe C of E Primary School
Wakefield Road, Lightcliffe, Halifax, HX3 8SH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ABBEY MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Adelle Hustler Kate Dunkley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Sponsor
- Abbey Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Calder Valley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 370
- URN
- 144865
- Local authority
- Calderdale
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01422202235
About this school
Lightcliffe C of E Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Halifax. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 370 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Lightcliffe C of E 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 57 | 61 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 49% | 57% | 64% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 5% | 12% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 82% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 70% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 79% | 58% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 107.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.50 | - | - |
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 Lightcliffe C of E 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 | Calderdale average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 49% | 59.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 57.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 64% | 60.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 413 |
| 2023/24 | 411 |
| 2024/25 | 399 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Lightcliffe C of E Primary School compares
Lightcliffe C of E Primary School ranked 37th of 76 primary schools in Calderdale for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64% | 3.3% | 6.8% | 370 | — |
| Cliffe Hill Community Primary School | 50% | 8.4% | 56.4% | 195 | 0.6 miles |
| Trinity Academy St Chad's | 81% | 3.9% | 15.1% | 121 | 0.7 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy, Brighouse | 65% | 4.7% | 14.1% | 196 | 0.8 miles |
| Bailiffe Bridge Junior and Infant School | 83% | 3.3% | 13.2% | 183 | 1.0 miles |
| St Andrew's Church of England (VA) Infant School | — | 5% | 22.6% | 156 | 1.2 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 6.77%
- English as an additional language
- 1.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.33%
- Persistent absence
- 3.98%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cliffe Hill Community Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Halifax
-
Trinity Academy St Chad's0.7 miles
Primary · Brighouse
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy, Brighouse0.8 miles
Primary · Brighouse
-
Bailiffe Bridge Junior and Infant School1.0 miles
Primary · Brighouse
-
St Andrew's Church of England (VA) Infant School1.2 miles
Primary · Brighouse
Other schools in Halifax
Lightcliffe C of E Primary School ranks 20th of the 41 ranked primary schools in Halifax.
- Abbey Park Academy Primary
- All Saints' CofE Primary School Primary
- Ash Green Community Primary School Primary
- Barkisland CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Beech Hill School Primary
- Bowling Green Academy Primary
- Bradshaw Primary School Primary
- Christ Church Pellon CofE VC Primary School Primary
- Cliffe Hill Community Primary School Primary
- Copley Primary School Primary
- Dean Field Community Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Primary School, A Church of England Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Lightcliffe C of E Primary School teach?
- Lightcliffe C of E Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Halifax.
- Who is the headteacher of Lightcliffe C of E Primary School?
- The headteacher of Lightcliffe C of E Primary School is Adelle Hustler Kate Dunkley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Lightcliffe C of E Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Lightcliffe C of E 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 Lightcliffe C of E Primary School?
- Lightcliffe C of E Primary School has 370 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Lightcliffe C of E Primary School full?
- Lightcliffe C of E Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 370 on roll (88%), 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 Lightcliffe C of E Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Lightcliffe C of E Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does Lightcliffe C of E Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Lightcliffe C of E Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Lightcliffe C of E Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Lightcliffe C of E Primary School is part of ABBEY MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Lightcliffe C of E Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 49% in 2022/23 and 64% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Lightcliffe C of E Primary School compare with other schools in Calderdale?
- Lightcliffe C of E Primary School ranked 37th of 76 primary schools in Calderdale for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Lightcliffe C of E Primary School's absence rate?
- Lightcliffe C of E Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Lightcliffe C of E Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Lightcliffe C of E 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 15 July 2026.