Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School is a small school in Todmorden that was judged to require special measures after its January 2026 full inspection. This first monitoring visit found that safeguarding is effective and that early years provision has improved to expected standard, with nurturing teaching, strong language and phonics work, and good support for children's personal development. Leaders have also created a calmer environment, behaviour is improving, and pupils are supported by warm, caring staff. The school serves a disadvantaged community, with high proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND. Serious weaknesses remain, however. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance still require urgent improvement. Teaching is inconsistent, pupils' reading, writing and mathematics outcomes are below national averages, and gaps in learning are not being tackled precisely enough. Support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND is variable, attendance remains below national levels with high persistent absence, PSHE is not taught consistently or in enough depth, and wider personal development opportunities are limited. Leaders, supported by SHARE Multi-Academy Trust, have identified the right priorities and some actions are beginning to have an impact, particularly in early years, behaviour and attendance. But it is too early to see sustained improvement, governors are heavily reliant on trust support, and overall capacity remains a concern. Pupils are not yet well enough prepared for the next stage of education.

Strengths

• Early years provision has improved and is now effective, with nurturing activities that help children start school confidently.
• Staff hold high expectations and focus strongly on children's language development through vocabulary, stories, songs and rhymes.
• Reception children build secure phonics and early mathematics knowledge, with writing supported by physical development and pencil grip.
• Children learn to take turns, be independent, behave well and manage their personal, social and emotional development.
• Staff adapt teaching for disadvantaged children and children with SEND in early years, checking learning and providing targeted support.
• Leaders have established consistent behaviour management, creating a calm environment where pupils are ready to learn.
• Incidents of poor behaviour and suspensions are reducing, and relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful.
• Bullying is rare, and staff provide personalised support for pupils who struggle to manage emotions and behaviour.
• Leaders track attendance closely, offer support to families and commission external help when needed, with individual attendance starting to improve.
• Leaders identify pupils' needs and barriers to learning and wellbeing effectively.
• External professional advice is used well for pupils with SEND, especially those with social, emotional and behavioural needs.
• The hub provides skilled pastoral care and tailored provision that helps pupils with high anxiety and sensory needs access learning.
• Disadvantaged pupils are attending school more regularly because of the support in place.
• A coherent PSHE curriculum includes statutory content, British values, respect for diversity, and safety education.
• Pupils can access clubs, music, sports competitions and residential experiences, and leaders track participation for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Staff are a close-knit team, and leaders and the trust are mindful of staff wellbeing.
• Trust support is helping leaders address weaknesses, and leaders have improved curriculum monitoring systems.
• Phonics teaching is precise for the youngest pupils, and skilled staff support older pupils with reading gaps.

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 Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.0% 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, 8.7% of pupils at Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.6% 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, 21.0% of pupils at Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.6% 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 Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School received £10,920 and spent £11,120 for each of its 101 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £66,000 (£657 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 Todmorden · Calderdale local authority: places and applications

What is Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School have?

Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School has 105 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School cover?

Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 12% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School?

Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School is at Greenfield Terrace, Cornholme, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, OL14 8PL.