Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School

Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School is performing well overall. Pupils are proud to belong to ‘Team Headlands’, feel safe and know staff will listen to them. The school is highly inclusive, supports pupils with SEND well, and has positive relationships between adults and pupils. Pupils behave well, attend regularly and benefit from a wide range of visits, clubs and outdoor space that support their wider development. Reading and phonics are particular strengths, and pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages in reading and mathematics at the end of key stage 2. The school has experienced significant change since its last inspection, including several leadership changes and the appointment of a new headteacher in January 2024. Leadership has now settled, and staff, pupils and parents are positive about recent improvements to the curriculum, behaviour and wider development. The curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced, and personal development is effective. Pastoral care is strong, and leaders and governors have a clear shared vision with effective improvement strategies. Staff workload and wellbeing are considered, and staff feel valued. There are still areas to improve. In some lessons, teachers do not focus precisely enough on the most important knowledge, and too much content or distracting activities can prevent pupils from remembering what they have been taught. In the early years, indoor and outdoor provision is not well developed enough, and some adults are unsure of the intended learning in provision areas, so some children do not achieve as well as they could. The school’s writing work is effective but is taking longer to improve published outcomes.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive culture where every pupil is welcome and valued
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Positive and respectful relationships between adults and pupils
• Pupils feel safe and confident that staff will listen and help
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and behave well
• Strong phonics and reading provision that helps pupils become confident readers
• Carefully planned and sequenced curriculum from early years to Year 6
• High academic expectations for all pupils
• Effective personal development programme preparing pupils for life in modern Britain
• High-quality pastoral care and close tracking of attendance
• Clear shared vision from leaders and governors with effective improvement strategies
• Supportive staff culture that considers workload and wellbeing
• Generous outdoor space and wide range of visits and clubs supporting pupils’ wellbeing

Areas for Improvement

• In some lessons, teachers do not focus precisely on teaching the most important knowledge
• Too much lesson content or distracting activities can stop pupils from internalising and remembering learning
• Pupils’ knowledge is less secure in some subjects than in others
• Early years indoor and outdoor provision is not well developed enough to practise and embed new learning and language
• Some early years adults are unsure of the intended learning in areas of provision
• Some children in the early years do not achieve as well as they could

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 Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.7% 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, 3.3% of pupils at Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School had 18.0 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, 30.4% of pupils at Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School received £7,954 and spent £7,828 for each of its 313 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £73,000 (£234 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 Liversedge · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

What is Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School have?

Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School has 313 pupils on roll.

What age range does Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School cover?

Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School?

Headlands Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior, Infant and Nursery School is at Headlands Road, Liversedge, West Yorkshire, WF15 6PR.