St Aidan's Church of England Academy

St Aidan’s Church of England Academy is a smaller-than-average primary school within the Learning Accord Academy Trust. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The school performs strongly across the core areas inspected: the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision are all good, while personal development is a standout strength. Pupils thrive, form positive relationships and behave excellently. The school’s personal development offer prepares pupils exceptionally well for life in modern Britain, and pupils benefit from a wide range of extracurricular opportunities. Reading and mathematics are particular strengths. Pupils learn to read as soon as they start school, and those needing extra support receive effective help. Mathematics teaching is strong, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who are identified quickly and supported well. Behaviour is calm and orderly, safeguarding arrangements are effective, staff are proud to work at the school, and governors hold leaders to account. The main area for improvement is that, in a few subjects, the smaller steps of knowledge that pupils need to learn are not identified clearly enough. As a result, pupils occasionally miss steps in their learning or experience less focused teaching. The school should ensure that key knowledge is clearly identified across all subjects and phases.

Strengths

• High expectations and excellent pupil behaviour create a calm, orderly school.
• Personal development is exceptionally well planned and prepares pupils for life in modern Britain.
• Early reading is strong, with careful phonics teaching and effective support for pupils who need it.
• Mathematics teaching is effective, including for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and learn the ambitious curriculum alongside their peers.
• Staff take a skilful, nurturing approach to pupils who need help managing feelings and behaviour.
• The school provides first-rate wider development opportunities, including pupil leadership roles.
• Parents speak positively about the school and relationships between staff and parents are strong.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and curriculum changes support their workload.
• Governors hold leaders to account and invest their time thoughtfully.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, the smaller steps of knowledge pupils need are not identified clearly.
• Pupils sometimes miss steps in their learning because curriculum knowledge is not precisely sequenced in all subjects.

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 St Aidan's Church of England Academy attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.9% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Aidan's Church of England 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 St Aidan's Church of England Academy had 22.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 17.5% of pupils at St Aidan's Church of England Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 St Aidan's Church of England Academy received £7,285 and spent £6,899 for each of its 146 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £103,000 (£707 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Learning Accord Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,872 and spending £6,958 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

St Aidan's Church of England Academy is part of Learning Accord Multi Academy Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Skelmanthorpe Academy Huddersfield
• Scissett Church of England Academy Huddersfield
• Cumberworth CofE First School Huddersfield
• Kaye's Academy Huddersfield
• New Mill Junior School Holmfirth
• Hepworth Junior and Infant School Holmfirth
• New Mill Infant School Holmfirth
• Lowerhouses CofE Primary School Huddersfield
• Earlsheaton Infant School Dewsbury
• St John’s CE Primary School Dewsbury

What is St Aidan's Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Aidan's Church of England Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Aidan's Church of England Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Aidan's Church of England Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Aidan's Church of England Academy have?

St Aidan's Church of England Academy has 137 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Aidan's Church of England Academy cover?

St Aidan's Church of England Academy for pupils aged 4 to 10.

Where is St Aidan's Church of England Academy?

St Aidan's Church of England Academy is at Smithy Close, Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9DQ.