Birstall Primary Academy

Birstall Primary Academy continues to demonstrate good performance as confirmed in this recent inspection. The school fosters a strong sense of community, where pupils are proud of their achievements and engage enthusiastically with the learning experiences provided. There is an evident commitment to high expectations, and most pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, supported by strong staff training, creating a positive learning environment that nurtures the development of pupils' knowledge and skills. However, there are some areas for improvement, particularly in how quickly teachers identify and address misunderstandings during lessons. While the school ensures a range of extracurricular and leadership opportunities for pupils, the need for sharper assessment strategies remains a focal point moving forward. Overall, the inspection indicates that the school is successfully building on its existing strengths while identifying key areas for advancing pupil learning even further.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and proud to be part of the school community.
• Teachers set high expectations and encourage pupils to try their best.
• A broad and ambitious curriculum inspires most pupils to achieve well.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers enhances student learning.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs enables them to thrive.
• A rich variety of extracurricular activities promotes well-rounded development.
• High-quality texts and reading initiatives foster a love of reading among pupils.
• Strong collaboration with the Focus Academy Trust supports staff development and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers in some lessons do not quickly identify and address pupils' errors.

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 Birstall Primary Academy attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.1% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Birstall Primary Academy 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 Birstall Primary Academy had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.5% 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, 13.4% of pupils at Birstall Primary Academy 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 2024–25 Birstall Primary Academy received £7,466 and spent £7,653 for each of its 185 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £54,000 (-£294 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Focus Academy Trust (Uk) Ltd, income was £7,160 and spending £6,808 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 Batley · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

Birstall Primary Academy is part of Focus Academy Trust (Uk) Ltd, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Fieldhead Primary Academy Batley
• Boothroyd Primary Academy Dewsbury
• Thornhill Junior and Infant School Dewsbury
• Shibden Head Primary Academy Bradford
• Thornton Primary School Bradford
• Wilsden Primary School Bradford
• Deeplish Primary Academy Rochdale
• Roundthorn Primary Academy Oldham
• Coppice Primary Academy Oldham
• Freehold Community Academy Oldham

What is Birstall Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birstall Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Birstall Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Birstall Primary Academy was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Birstall Primary Academy have?

Birstall Primary Academy has 187 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birstall Primary Academy cover?

Birstall Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Birstall Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Birstall Primary Academy?

Birstall Primary Academy is at Chapel Lane, Birstall, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 9EE.