Hendal Primary School

Hendal Primary School is a nurturing and ambitious community primary school that was judged good in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision, with personal development rated outstanding. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework no single overall effectiveness grade was issued; the previous inspection grade was good.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, respectful and proud of their school.
• The school's 'belong, aspire and achieve' values shape staff approach and pupil attitudes.
• Pupils feel safe because of excellent relationships with teachers.
• The school is highly ambitious for every pupil and provides a supportive, caring environment.
• Pupils learn effectively and study a broad curriculum with enthusiasm.
• A rigorous, well-trained phonics approach helps pupils learn sounds quickly and read confidently.
• Older pupils read with confidence, expression and understanding.
• Pupils with SEND are securely identified and very well supported, with thoughtful adaptations to learning.
• Children in early years are confident, curious learners who benefit from strong communication and language focus.
• Behaviour is exemplary in lessons and pupils are thoughtful, kind and independent.
• Personal development is exceptionally strong, preparing pupils well for life in modern, diverse Britain.
• Pupils value leadership roles, clubs, enrichment activities and community projects.
• Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.
• Staff well-being and workload are considered, and staff value the support they receive.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, the curriculum is not sufficiently focused on the essential knowledge and skills pupils need to remember over time.
• Pupils' progress slows in subjects where teachers are unclear about the steps in learning.
• Teacher checks at the end of sequences of lessons are not always focused on expected learning, so gaps are not clearly identified.
• In early years, learning is sometimes less successful because the curriculum does not clearly identify expected steps.
• Attendance and persistent absence are being addressed, but the impact is not yet fully seen and some pupils miss important learning and wider opportunities.

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 Hendal Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.6% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Hendal 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 Hendal Primary School had 22.4 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, 21.2% of pupils at Hendal 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 Hendal Primary School received £6,999 and spent £6,877 for each of its 402 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £238,000 (£592 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 Wakefield · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

What is Hendal Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hendal Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Hendal Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hendal Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Hendal Primary School have?

Hendal Primary School has 410 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hendal Primary School cover?

Hendal Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Hendal Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hendal Primary School?

Hendal Primary School is at Hendal Lane, Wakefield, WF2 7QW.