High Crags Primary Leadership Academy

High Crags Primary Leadership Academy continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school with high aspirations for its pupils. Staff foster an environment of care and kindness, leading to strong relationships between pupils and adults. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, helping students build a solid foundation in their learning. Notably, the school excels in supporting its pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ensuring they receive the necessary guidance to thrive academically. However, there are notable concerns regarding attendance, as some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. Additionally, while the curriculum is strong, the school has identified areas for improvement, particularly in close monitoring of reading skills for some pupils in key stage 2. This report marks the first ungraded inspection since the school was deemed good in 2019, and it reflects the continuing developments and adjustments made post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Strengths

• High aspirations for pupils with a strong focus on care and kindness.
• Ambitious, well-structured curriculum that is consistently taught.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils, fostering trust.
• Robust early reading curriculum that builds phonics knowledge effectively.
• Active engagement in extra-curricular activities enriching pupil experiences.
• Pupils’ development of positive learning behaviours supported by staff strategies.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough.
• Gaps in reading knowledge for some pupils in key stage 2 are not always identified or addressed.

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 High Crags Primary Leadership Academy attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.5% 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, 2.4% of pupils at High Crags Primary Leadership Academy 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 High Crags Primary Leadership Academy had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.9% 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, 16.1% of pupils at High Crags Primary Leadership Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 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 2024–25 High Crags Primary Leadership Academy received £8,165 and spent £8,303 for each of its 323 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £320,000 (£992 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Star Academies, income was £8,430 and spending £8,333 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 Shipley · Bradford local authority: places and applications

High Crags Primary Leadership Academy is part of Star Academies, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Bradford Bradford
• Barkerend Primary Leadership Academy Bradford
• Rainbow Primary Leadership Academy Bradford
• Laisterdyke Leadership Academy Bradford
• Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy Bradford
• Tong Leadership Academy Bradford
• The Valley Leadership Academy Bacup
• Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School Rossendale
• Oulder Hill Leadership Academy Rochdale
• Star Radcliffe Academy Radcliffe

What is High Crags Primary Leadership Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for High Crags Primary Leadership Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was High Crags Primary Leadership Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

High Crags Primary Leadership Academy was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does High Crags Primary Leadership Academy have?

High Crags Primary Leadership Academy has 311 pupils on roll.

What age range does High Crags Primary Leadership Academy cover?

High Crags Primary Leadership Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are High Crags Primary Leadership Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is High Crags Primary Leadership Academy?

High Crags Primary Leadership Academy is at Pratt Lane, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD18 2ES.