School Chooser

Lift Pioneer

Special · ages 3-19MixedAcademy201 pupilsSixth form Free breakfast clubBasildonEssex
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance89.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families40%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull201 pupils, 170 places
Pupils per teacher8.2School workforce census
Pupils on roll201Census January 2026

Lift Pioneer is a special academy in Basildon for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 201 pupils, 31 more than it has places for. About 40 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England.

Ghyllgrove, Basildon, SS14 2LA01268 243300Mrs Joanne Allain headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

12 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. That usually means the year group was too small to publish without identifying children.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

12 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017EssexEngland
Pupils tested121712111011
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%10%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-9.3-0.8-1.7-3.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-10.1-2.1-1.9-3.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Essex council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll201Census January 2026
Places170118% full
Pupils from low-income families40%40% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%201 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)41%£97,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls142 / 59
White British pupils69%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with other needs, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Essex with other needs provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Severe learning difficulty (167), Autistic spectrum disorder (17), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (17).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll201189174165163157
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals40%38%32%31%31%33%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%6%6%4%3%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance89.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school34.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.0%11.7%14.3%15.4%12.6%16.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence9.2%11.1%13.8%15.1%11.5%13.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%0.6%0.5%0.4%1.1%2.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence34.1%35.8%45.3%43.1%32.3%36.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.60.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 12 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with – for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2018/19 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%100%
Education100%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers24.5full-time equivalent, 26 people
Pupils per teacher8.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers92%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants69.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,531
Teachers who left in the year5%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.62024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£22,852England £30,720. Total £4.3m
Income per pupil£26,651England £33,526. Total £5.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£8,608England £11,966
Money in reserve43%A lot put by: £2.2m, £11k per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£718kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£22,852spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m49612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate247 per 1,000 people172% higher than the England average
Typical house price£360,000Basildon
Nearest bus stop140 mThe Hatherley, 12 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
The Willows Primary SchoolAcademy360 m651Not inspected48Compare
Fairhouse Community Primary SchoolAcademy540 m396Good 202343Compare
De La Salle SchoolRoman Catholic600 m761Good 202440Compare
Whitmore Primary School and NurseryAcademy990 m633Good 201915Compare
Ghyllgrove Primary SchoolCouncil0.6 miles630No overall grade 202421Compare
Cherry Tree Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles384No overall grade 20252Compare
The Basildon Lower AcademyAcademy0.7 miles892Report card 20260Compare
Greensted Primary School & NurseryAcademy0.8 miles520No overall grade 202474Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Lift Pioneer a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Lift Pioneer yet.

How good are Lift Pioneer's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Lift Pioneer have?

201 pupils aged 3 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 170 places, so it is 118% full.

What is attendance like at Lift Pioneer?

Pupils were in school 89.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 34% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Lift Pioneer have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for other needs, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Lift Pioneer have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

Does Lift Pioneer have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Ghyllgrove, Basildon, SS14 2LA
Telephone
01268 243300
Headteacher
Mrs Joanne Allain
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The Bridge MAT Ltd (9 schools)
Local authority
Essex
Ward
Fryerns
Constituency
Basildon and Billericay
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 June 2012 (academy converter)
URN
138219 · LAESTAB 8817001 · UKPRN 10037494
Formerly
The Pioneer School

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from