Barkisland CofE VA Primary School

Barkisland CofE VA Primary School is performing well overall, rated as good in all areas except early years provision, which requires improvement. The school emphasizes strong Christian values and community involvement, with most pupils demonstrating positive attitudes towards their education. Staff are committed and have high expectations of pupil achievement, creating an environment where pupils can thrive and feel safe. However, there have been significant changes in leadership and staffing since the last inspection, which has impacted the school's various programs and initiatives for improvement.

Strengths

• Strong links with the local church and community
• Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities and participate in various councils
• High priority on reading with trained staff
• Well sequenced mathematics curriculum
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• High attendance rates and positive pupil behavior

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum planning and sequencing in some subjects is insufficient
• Early years curriculum is not fully developed
• Reading books are not always well matched to students' phonic knowledge
• Some pupils lack the time and resources to engage in reasoning and problem-solving in mathematics

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 Barkisland CofE VA Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.1% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Barkisland CofE VA 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 Barkisland CofE VA Primary School had 25.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 13.7% of pupils at Barkisland CofE VA Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 Barkisland CofE VA Primary School received £8,045 and spent £8,040 for each of its 197 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £146,000 (£743 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 Barkisland CofE VA Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Barkisland CofE VA Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Barkisland CofE VA Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Barkisland CofE VA Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Barkisland CofE VA Primary School have?

Barkisland CofE VA Primary School has 197 pupils on roll.

What age range does Barkisland CofE VA Primary School cover?

Barkisland CofE VA Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Barkisland CofE VA Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Barkisland CofE VA Primary School?

Barkisland CofE VA Primary School is at Scammonden Road, Barkisland, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX4 0BD.