Co-op Academy Smithies Moor

About Co-op Academy Smithies Moor

Co-op Academy Smithies Moor is a primary school in Kirklees that parents are clearly keen to get into: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 16 applications for just 6 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.67. That said, only 3 of those applications were first-preference choices, and all 3 received offers. The school doesn’t publish a parent-view recommendation percentage, so it’s harder to gauge word-of-mouth satisfaction directly, but the sheer number of applications relative to places suggests local demand is strong. The school is led by headteacher Caroline Watkiss and has a nursery provision for children from age 3, making it a natural choice for families looking for a single-site primary journey. With 179 pupils on roll against a capacity of 270, there is room to grow, and the school serves a community where 48% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024 rated it Requires Improvement overall, a significant step up from its previous Inadequate rating in 2018. The inspection breakdown shows a mixed picture: personal development was rated Good, while behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and quality of education all sit at Requires improvement. Early years provision also requires improvement. On KS2 outcomes for the 2023/24 academic year, 72% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, comfortably above the Kirklees local authority average of 60%. The school ranks 22nd out of 94 primaries in the LA on this measure, placing it in the top quarter nationally. Average scaled scores in reading and maths both sit at 106, and 44% of pupils reached the higher standard in maths, though only 8% did so in writing. Progress scores are not available, so it’s not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to starting points.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a gymnasium, sensory room, music rooms, library, art studios, dining hall, outdoor playground and a forest school. Sports on offer include football, athletics, cross country, netball and cricket, while clubs cover drama, art, eco and choir. For children with additional needs, the school has SEND provision for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that has clearly improved since its last inspection but is still on a journey; it will suit families who value a diverse, inclusive intake and are comfortable with a school that is actively working through its improvement plan. The oversubscription suggests local confidence, but the low first-preference conversion rate may indicate it is a popular fallback rather than a top choice for most.

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