Norland CE School

Norland CE School is a small Church of England primary school within The Calderdale Village Schools Federation. Following its June 2026 full inspection, safeguarding standards were met. Most areas are judged at the expected standard, with attendance and behaviour judged strong. The school has a calm, caring and inclusive culture where pupils feel safe, valued and well supported.

Strengths

• Attendance is a high priority and overall attendance is above the national average.
• Persistent absence is low and improving, with strong support for families.
• Pupils behave very well, and the school has a calm, orderly and respectful culture.
• Bullying is rare and dealt with quickly and effectively.
• Pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages and make secure progress from their starting points.
• Early reading is prioritised and taught consistently well through daily phonics.
• Pupils with SEND make suitable progress and access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.
• The early years curriculum is ambitious and places language, communication and personal development at its heart.
• Inclusion is a strength: needs are identified quickly and adaptations are well considered.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with supportive leadership and well-informed governors.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, trips, outdoor learning and leadership roles.
• Pupils feel happy, safe and valued, and relationships between staff and pupils are warm and trusting.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality is not yet consistently highly effective across all subjects and year groups.
• Adult-child interactions in the early years are not consistently effective across the provision.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages over the latest three years.
• The school's disadvantage gaps in reading, writing and mathematics are substantial.

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 Norland CE School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Norland CE 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 Norland CE School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 45.5% 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, 23.0% of pupils at Norland CE School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% 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 Norland CE School received £9,374 and spent £9,604 for each of its 122 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £95,000 (£776 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). This school files a single return with the other schools in its federation, so the figures are for the whole federation.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Sowerby Bridge · Calderdale local authority: places and applications

What is Norland CE School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Norland CE School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Norland CE School last inspected by Ofsted?

Norland CE School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Norland CE School have?

Norland CE School has 61 pupils on roll.

What age range does Norland CE School cover?

Norland CE School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Norland CE School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Norland CE School?

Norland CE School is at Berry Moor Road, Norland, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, HX6 3RN.