Northowram Primary School

Northowram Primary School is a strong school where high expectations for pupils’ academic and personal development make a tangible difference. Pupils are happy, attend well and achieve consistently strongly, particularly in phonics and reading. The curriculum is well sequenced across subjects, support for pupils with SEND is very effective, and the early years provision is a standout feature, with exceptional support for children’s language and communication. Behaviour is calm, relationships are positive, and pupils benefit from a coherent personal development programme and a wide range of clubs. The school’s leadership is effective, staff feel well supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. However, the report identifies two main areas for improvement. In some subjects, teachers’ subject-specific knowledge is less secure, which can mean pupils’ misconceptions are missed. In addition, a small number of pupils are persistently absent, and the school’s actions to improve their attendance have not been effective or timely enough. This was a graded inspection under the current framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. The school was previously judged outstanding and had not been inspected under section 5 since 2016; it received an ungraded section 8 inspection in January 2023.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupils’ academic and personal development
• Pupils are happy, keen to learn and have positive relationships
• Pupils achieve consistently well, especially in phonics and reading
• Support for pupils with SEND is very effective
• The curriculum is well sequenced across subjects
• Early years provision is highly effective and meets children’s needs exceptionally well
• Children’s language and communication skills are promoted exceptionally well
• Outdoor learning is carefully integrated with the curriculum
• Teachers explain new ideas well and check pupils’ learning
• Pupils’ behaviour around school is calm and polite
• Personal, social and health education is coherent and meaningful
• A range of clubs and activities builds pupils’ interests and talents
• Staff well-being is taken seriously and workload is considered
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers lack subject-specific knowledge in parts of the curriculum
• Pupils’ misconceptions are occasionally missed because subject knowledge is less secure
• Attendance for a small number of persistently absent pupils is too low
• The school’s actions to improve persistent absence have not been effective or timely

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Northowram Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.1% of pupils at Northowram Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Northowram Primary School had 23.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.5% of pupils at Northowram Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Northowram Primary School received £6,320 and spent £6,199 for each of its 441 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £161,000 (£364 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Halifax · Calderdale local authority: places and applications

What is Northowram Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Northowram Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Northowram Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Northowram Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Northowram Primary School have?

Northowram Primary School has 451 pupils on roll.

What age range does Northowram Primary School cover?

Northowram Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Northowram Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Northowram Primary School?

Northowram Primary School is at Baxter Lane, Northowram, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 7EF.