Shelley First School

Shelley First School demonstrates a good overall performance with notable strengths in leadership and management, as well as early years provision, both rated as outstanding. The school successfully fosters a caring and inclusive environment where pupils develop their interests and talents through a variety of extracurricular activities. Teachers maintain high expectations, and pupils respond positively, contributing to a calm and purposeful atmosphere in classrooms. The curriculum prioritizes reading and effectively supports pupils with special educational needs, ensuring that learning opportunities are engaging and tailored to individual needs.

Strengths

• Strong leadership and management with a focus on support and teamwork among staff
• Excellent early years provision that effectively builds vocabulary and knowledge
• Positive behaviour and attitudes among pupils, fostering a respectful school environment
• Effective safeguarding measures that ensure pupils feel safe
• High expectations from teachers leading to good engagement and motivation among pupils

Areas for Improvement

• The impact of the curriculum is less strong in some foundation subjects, leading to knowledge gaps

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 First School attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.4% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Shelley First School 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 Shelley First School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.6% 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, 10.7% of pupils at Shelley First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Shelley First School received £6,455 and spent £6,023 for each of its 170 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £259,000 (£1,524 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of The Mast Academy Trust, income was £6,805 and spending £6,595 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 First School is part of The Mast Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Kirkburton Middle School Huddersfield
• Birdsedge First School Huddersfield
• Scissett Middle School Huddersfield
• Grange Moor Primary School Wakefield
• Scholes (Holmfirth) Junior & Infant School Holmfirth

What is Shelley First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shelley First School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Shelley First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shelley First School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Shelley First School have?

Shelley First School has 159 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shelley First School cover?

Shelley First School for pupils aged 4 to 10.

Where is Shelley First School?

Shelley First School is at School Terrace, Far Bank, Shelley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8HU.