Dalton School

Dalton School is a larger-than-average primary school in an area with above-average deprivation, and it has a specially resourced provision for pupils with visual impairment. The inspection found the school performing to the expected standard overall, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils are safe, attend regularly and behave well, and the school has a strongly inclusive ethos. Leaders have made recent, well-received changes to the curriculum, including in writing, reading, phonics, mathematics and the wider curriculum. Staff support disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND effectively, including through the visual impairment provision, and personal development is broad, with strong emotional and social support. Governance is effective, and parents and staff are generally positive. The main areas for further work are published outcomes: combined reading, writing and mathematics and writing results at the end of key stage 2 are below national averages in recent data, and the improvements in writing are not yet reflected in published results. Inspectors also asked leaders to ensure early years activities consistently build on what children already know and engage them fully. Overall, this is a school meeting expected standards, with clear priorities for consolidating recent improvements.

Strengths

• Inclusive ethos with effective support for pupils with SEND, including a specially resourced provision for visual impairment.
• Pupils feel safe, behave well, are polite and welcoming, and lessons are calm and orderly.
• Attendance is positive and leaders monitor absence closely, providing support such as breakfast club.
• The curriculum is well considered across subjects, with recent refinements to help teachers revisit key knowledge.
• Writing is taught well and pupils use a broad vocabulary, developing secure writing skills by Year 6.
• Phonics and reading are taught consistently well, helping pupils become confident readers.
• Mathematics provision builds important basic skills and supports pupils who need to catch up.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND receive effective support to access the curriculum.
• Early years children are well supported, settle happily, and leave Reception well prepared for Year 1.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with clear priorities, appropriate challenge and support, and staff and parent confidence.
• Personal development is well constructed, covering PSHE, online safety, healthy relationships, British values, visits and clubs.
• The Honeysuckle Team provides valuable emotional and social support that reduces barriers to learning.
• Disadvantaged pupils benefit from access to clubs, trips and additional social and emotional support.

Areas for Improvement

• Published outcomes in writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics remain below national averages in recent years.
• Improvements to writing are not yet reflected in published results and need to be embedded further.
• Attainment in external tests and assessments needs to improve, as recognised by governors.
• Early years activities are not consistently designed to build on what children already know, and children occasionally do not engage fully, limiting learning.

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 Dalton School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.3% 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, 2.9% of pupils at Dalton School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 Dalton School had 18.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.0% 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, 19.9% of pupils at Dalton School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 3 pupils.

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 Dalton School received £8,860 and spent £8,860 for each of its 480 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £12,000 (-£26 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 Huddersfield · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

What is Dalton School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dalton School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Dalton School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dalton School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Dalton School have?

Dalton School has 487 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dalton School cover?

Dalton School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Dalton School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Dalton School?

Dalton School is at Mayfield Avenue, Dalton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD5 9HN.