Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School is a warm, nurturing school where pupils are happy, safe and well behaved. Behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision are strong: pupils show excellent manners, benefit from well-established routines, and are well prepared to be tolerant and active members of society. The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum, reading is prioritised, phonics support is effective for younger pupils, and pupils with SEND are identified and supported well. Safeguarding is effective. The main concern is that academic outcomes, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2, have been weak in recent years and are not improving quickly enough. A significant number of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are not academically prepared for secondary school. Curriculum improvements are under way and beginning to show impact, but they are not consistently embedded, and some activities do not help pupils learn and remember content in sufficient depth. Leadership and governance need a sharper focus on academic performance and more rigorous monitoring of improvement plans. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the report notes that context in its evaluation. The school was previously judged good, but this graded inspection found that the quality of education and leadership and management need improvement, while recognising clear strengths in behaviour, personal development and early years provision.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and value positive relationships with peers and staff.
• Pupils display excellent manners and respectful, orderly behaviour.
• Well-established routines create a calm and purposeful atmosphere.
• Pupils are well prepared to be tolerant, inclusive and active members of society.
• Pupils can take on leadership roles such as school councillors and ambassadors.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and clearly sequenced from early years.
• Early years provision gives children a strong start, including communication and language.
• Reading is a high priority, with structured phonics and quick support for pupils who fall behind.
• Pupils with SEND are identified well and receive effective support.
• Pupils are highly motivated in lessons and attendance is improving.
• Personal development is supported through assemblies, discussions and memorable experiences.
• Staff feel valued and cared for, and safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Academic outcomes in key stage 2 reading, writing and mathematics have been weak in recent years.
• Outcomes are not improving quickly enough, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
• A significant number of pupils are not academically prepared for secondary school.
• Curriculum improvements are not consistently embedded, and older pupils have not fully benefited.
• Some activities do not allow pupils to learn the curriculum in sufficient depth.
• Pupils do not always have regular opportunities to reinforce and remember the curriculum.
• Teaching is inconsistent in helping pupils know and remember important content.
• Governors have not focused sufficiently on pupils' academic outcomes.
• School improvement plans have not been monitored with rigour.
• Governance oversight of academic performance needs sharper focus and greater urgency.

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 Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.6% 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, 2.1% of pupils at Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery 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 Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.0% 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, 20.3% of pupils at Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School received £9,429 and spent £11,389 for each of its 137 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £6,000 (-£42 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).

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• Secondary Schools

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What is Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in October 2025.

When was Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School was last inspected in October 2025.

How many pupils does Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School have?

Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School has 138 pupils on roll.

What age range does Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School cover?

Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) 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 Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School?

Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School is at Westgate, Elland, West Yorkshire, HX5 0BB.