Shelley College, A Share Academy

Shelley College, A Share Academy is an exceptionally strong school where ambition, high expectations and a strong sense of unity are evident throughout. Inspectors found that pupils achieve highly in calm, focused lessons, behaviour is exceptional, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are expertly supported so they can access the curriculum alongside their peers. The school’s curriculum is coherent and consistently delivered, with clear ‘golden knowledge’ and retrieval practice helping pupils recall and embed learning across subjects.

Strengths

• Ambition and high expectations are central to the school’s culture.
• Pupils achieve highly and behave exceptionally in lessons and around school.
• The curriculum identifies essential ‘golden knowledge’ clearly across all subjects.
• Consistent retrieval and re-teaching help pupils embed and recall learning.
• Pupils with SEND are expertly supported and effectively included in lessons.
• Reading has a high priority, with quick identification and expert support for pupils who need help.
• Personal development is strong, including resilience, careers preparation and a wide range of activities.
• The ‘Shelley College Scholars’ programme gives structure to a rich extra-curricular offer.
• Sixth-form students receive well-designed preparation for university and other future options.
• Trust leaders provide effective support and challenge, including work that has improved outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• Staff are proud of their work and receive exceptional support from school leaders.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 Shelley College, A Share Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 16.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 3.9% of pupils at Shelley College, A Share Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Shelley College, A Share Academy had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 16.8% of pupils at Shelley College, A Share Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Shelley College, A Share Academy received £9,060 and spent £8,280 for each of its 1,282 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £3,044,000 (£2,375 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Share Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,742 and spending £7,678 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Huddersfield · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

Shelley College, A Share Academy is part of Share Multi Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy Dewsbury
• Luck Lane, A Share Primary Academy Huddersfield
• Royds Hall, A Share Academy Huddersfield
• Woodside Green, A Share Primary Academy Huddersfield
• Millbridge, A Share Primary Academy Liversedge
• Heaton Avenue, A Share Primary Academy Cleckheaton
• Whitcliffe Mount, A Share Academy Cleckheaton
• Todmorden High School, A SHARE Academy Todmorden

What is Shelley College, A Share Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shelley College, A Share Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Shelley College, A Share Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Shelley College, A Share Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Shelley College, A Share Academy have?

Shelley College, A Share Academy has 1,274 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shelley College, A Share Academy cover?

Shelley College, A Share Academy for pupils aged 13 to 18.

Where is Shelley College, A Share Academy?

Shelley College, A Share Academy is at Huddersfield Road, Shelley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8NL.