Secondary applications close 31 October – compare your shortlist now

Joseph Norton Academy

Special School Ages 7-16 62 pupils Huddersfield
All schools in Huddersfield

Joseph Norton Academy is an academy special converter in Huddersfield for pupils aged 7 to 16. It has 62 pupils on roll. In 2024 its average Attainment 8 score was 6.7, and 0% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE. In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

GCSE results: 2024. KS2 results: 2025.

Type Special School / Academy special converter
Age Range 7-16
Religion Does not apply
Address Busker Lane
Scissett
Huddersfield
West Yorkshire
HD8 9JU
Phone 01484868218
Reference Number 143227

General Makeup

Number of pupils 62
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 100%
Girls: 0%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 67.7%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 0%

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
3 1 Unknown 1
4 3 Unknown 3
5 1 Unknown 1
6 7 Unknown 7
7 13 Unknown 13
8 9 Unknown 9
9 10 Unknown 10
10 11 Unknown 11
11 7 Unknown 7

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 80.6%
Mixed, Other 6.5%
White & Black (Caribbean) 4.8%
White & Black (African) 3.2%
White, Other 1.6%
White & Asian 1.6%
Caribbean 1.6%

Overall Ofsted Rating
Last Report Date 11 Feb 2025 – no overall grade published for this inspection
Date Report
11 Feb 2025 School inspection
09 Apr 2019 Short inspection
06 Sep 2016 Academy conversion letter
06 May 2015 Monitoring visit
Previously as Nortonthorpe Hall School
16 Apr 2013 Full inspection:
11 Apr 2011 Full inspection:
06 Feb 2008 Full inspection:
28 Apr 2003 Full inspection

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
6.7

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 0%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 0%

Progress 8 Score

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

School Score Percentile (loc) Percentile (nationwide)
-1.45

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

Sample

Unlock

GCSE Results

Sample

Unlock

Progress 8 Score

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Sample

Unlock

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 0%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 0%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 95
Maths 90

How many students meet the standards

Sample

Unlock

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Sample

Unlock

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Sample

Unlock
Unlock Premium

See how Joseph Norton Academy ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.

£9.99 one-off payment. Lifetime access, no subscription.

Unlock for £9.99

In 2024–25 pupils at Joseph Norton Academy attended 76.9% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 52.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20172018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 1.7%0.6%0.9%10.4%2.2%2.6%3.9%11.4%
Unauthorised absence 8.1%7.1%5.4%10.7%13.9%11.8%16.2%11.7%
Severely absent pupils 2.8%5.8%0.0%7.0%11.9%9.4%14.3%20.0%

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, 6.6% of pupils at Joseph Norton Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

201720182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 9.10.00.00.00.00.017.511.76.6
Permanent exclusions 000000000

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 Joseph Norton Academy had 4.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 42.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

2017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 2.01.81.91.51.51.61.71.71.51.6
Teachers who left state teaching 21.7%17.6%36.8%0.0%6.7%6.4%21.7%0.0%5.3%–
Teachers who took any sick leave –83.3%68.8%–58.8%78.9%81.0%90.0%82.6%–
Sick days per teacher –5.71.9–2.516.311.57.119.0–

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 Joseph Norton Academy had 62 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: social, emotional and mental health.

Pupils by main type of need

EHC plan
Social, emotional and mental health 62

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

In 2024–25 Joseph Norton Academy received £50,354 and spent £48,382 for each of its 61 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £767,000 (£12,577 per pupil).

Across all 25 schools of Wellspring Academy Trust, income was £12,764 and spending £12,663 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

2019202020212022202320242025
Revenue reserve £215,000£370,000£588,000£711,000£1,040,000£767,000£767,000
per pupil £3,315£5,970£9,635£10,771£16,509£12,778£12,577
In-year balance £73,000£171,000£206,000£181,000£370,000-£146,000£120,000
per pupil £1,119£2,753£3,374£2,742£5,868-£2,428£1,972

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.

Name Distance
Scissett Middle School
Wakefield Road, Scissett, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9JX
0.17 miles
Scissett Church of England Academy
Wakefield Road, Scissett, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9HR
0.25 miles
Skelmanthorpe Academy
Elm Street, Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9DZ
0.7 miles
Kaye's Academy
Holmfield, Clayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9LZ
0.86 miles
St Aidan's Church of England Academy
Smithy Close, Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9DQ
0.86 miles
Denby Dale First and Nursery School
Gilthwaites Lane, Denby Dale, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8SG
1.1 miles
Emley First School
School Lane, Emley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9RT
1.83 miles
Denby Church of England Voluntary Aided First School
Goose Green, Upper Denby, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8UN
2.35 miles
Cumberworth CofE First School
Cumberworth Lane, Upper Cumberworth, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8NU
2.41 miles
Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Taylor Hill, Cawthorne, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S75 4HB
2.77 miles
Shelley First School
School Terrace, Far Bank, Shelley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8HU
2.85 miles
Flockton CofE (C) First School
Flockton First School, Barnsley Road, Flockton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4DH
2.91 miles
Birdsedge First School
Birdsedge First School, Penistone Road, Birdsedge, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8XR
3.14 miles
Hoylandswaine Primary School
Haigh Lane, Hoylandswaine, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S36 7JJ
3.2 miles
Shepley First School
Firth Street, Shepley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8DD
3.23 miles
Kirkburton CofE (VA) First School
School Hill, Kirkburton, West Yorkshire, HD8 0SG
3.24 miles
Kirkburton Middle School
Turnshaws Avenue, Kirkburton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 0TJ
3.31 miles
West Bretton Junior and Infant School
Bretton Lane, West Bretton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4LB
3.36 miles
Kexborough Primary School
Ballfield Lane, Kexborough, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S75 5EF
3.37 miles
Highburton CofE First Academy
Northfield Lane, Highburton, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 0QT
3.83 miles
Name Distance
Edan Court School
Edan Court, Colliers Way, Clayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9TR
1.2 miles
Shelley College, A Share Academy
Huddersfield Road, Shelley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8NL
1.47 miles
Darton Academy
Ballfield Lane, Darton, Barnsley, S75 5EF
3.39 miles
Denby Grange School
Off Stocksmoor Rd, Midgley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4JG
3.45 miles
Penistone Grammar School
Huddersfield Road, Penistone, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S36 7BX
3.84 miles
Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy
Valley Drive, Dewsbury, WF12 0HE
4.93 miles

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

Joseph Norton Academy is part of Wellspring Academy Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

How many pupils does Joseph Norton Academy have?

Joseph Norton Academy has 62 pupils on roll.

What age range does Joseph Norton Academy cover?

Joseph Norton Academy for pupils aged 7 to 16.

What are Joseph Norton Academy's GCSE results?

In 2024 its average Attainment 8 score was 6.7, and 0% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Joseph Norton Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Joseph Norton Academy?

Joseph Norton Academy is at Busker Lane, Scissett, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9JU.

Filters

Basics

Age Range

Special Schools

Independent Schools

Faith Schools

Key Stage 2 Attainment

Students Meeting expected standard

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

Students Meeting higher standard

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

GCSE Attainment

Attainment 8 score percentile

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

Students getting 5 or more GCSE's at grade 9-4 (A-C)

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99