Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School

Shay Lane Primary School is performing well overall and has been rated as good in several areas, including the quality of education, personal development, leadership and management. The school is praised for its vibrant learning environment, where pupils display exemplary behaviour and a strong ethos of kindness. Notably, the early years provision has been highlighted as outstanding, indicating that children are well-prepared for future learning. The school's commitment to reading is evident, with a structured approach that supports pupils effectively in developing their literacy skills. Parents express high levels of satisfaction with the support and care provided by the school, particularly for those with special educational needs.

Strengths

• Pupils have exceptional relationships with teachers and staff.
• The early years provision is outstanding, preparing children well for key stage 1.
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, with a structured phonics approach.
• Pupils display exemplary behaviour and contribute positively to the school community.
• Strong support and effective planning for pupils with SEND.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, strategies are not used effectively enough to help pupils embed knowledge securely.
• Assessment at the end of a sequence of learning is still in development in certain subjects.

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 Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.2% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Shay Lane Primary (J and I) 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 Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School had 22.8 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, 12.4% of pupils at Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.3% 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 Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School received £7,103 and spent £6,895 for each of its 228 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £58,000 (£256 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 Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School have?

Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School has 233 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School cover?

Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School?

Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School is at Shay Lane, Crofton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 1NN.