Dean Field Community Primary School

Dean Field Community Primary School is performing strongly overall. It is a smaller-than-average primary in an area of above-average deprivation, with well-above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND, and it is part of The Family of Learning Trust. Since joining the trust, outcomes have improved considerably, and pupils achieve well—especially disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Reading and the Year 4 multiplication tables check are above national averages over time, and pupils make marked progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Safeguarding standards are met. The school's curriculum is broad, ambitious and carefully sequenced, and early years provision gives children an excellent start, particularly in communication and language. Inclusion is a notable strength: pupils with SEND are well supported in mainstream classes and through a specialist hub, and disadvantaged pupils take a full part in school life. Leadership, governance, personal development and behaviour are also strong, with parents overwhelmingly positive and pupils polite, calm and proud of their school. The main area for further work is attendance. Although attendance has improved and persistent absence has fallen markedly, both overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages. Leaders are also asked to ensure teaching consistently helps pupils build and retain detailed knowledge across every subject so that all pupils achieve highly over time.

Strengths

• Strong academic outcomes, with disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieving especially well.
• Broad, ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum from early years to Year 6.
• High-quality phonics and reading teaching with prompt catch-up support.
• Excellent early years provision with a strong focus on communication and language.
• Highly inclusive culture, including a specialist SEND hub that improves engagement and attendance.
• Effective leadership, governance and trust support with a clear moral purpose.
• Calm, orderly behaviour and warm, respectful relationships.
• Strong personal development programme and meaningful pupil leadership roles.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive and value the school's family feel and pastoral care.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains a concern: overall absence and persistent absence are above national averages, though improving.
• Teaching should consistently build and retain detailed subject knowledge so all pupils achieve highly over time.

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 Dean Field Community Primary School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.7% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Dean Field Community Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Dean Field Community Primary School had 20.8 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, 24.1% of pupils at Dean Field Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.6% 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 Dean Field Community Primary School received £8,122 and spent £7,527 for each of its 222 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £663,000 (£2,986 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of The Family of Learning Trust, income was £7,506 and spending £7,450 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 Halifax · Calderdale local authority: places and applications

Dean Field Community Primary School is part of The Family of Learning Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Beech Hill School Halifax
• Bradshaw Primary School Halifax
• Shirley Manor Primary School Bradford
• Heptonstall Junior Infant and Nursery School Hebden Bridge

What is Dean Field Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dean Field Community Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Dean Field Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dean Field Community Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Dean Field Community Primary School have?

Dean Field Community Primary School has 220 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dean Field Community Primary School cover?

Dean Field Community Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Dean Field Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dean Field Community Primary School?

Dean Field Community Primary School is at Cousin Lane, Ovenden, Halifax, HX2 8DQ.