Harden Primary School

About Harden Primary School

Harden Primary School’s Key Stage 2 results stand well above the Bradford local authority average, marking it out as a strong performer in the area. While the LA average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 59%, Harden achieves 87% — a significant gap that places it second out of 153 primary schools in the borough. The school also scores highly on the higher standard, with 23% of pupils reaching that level compared with a much lower local norm. Its reading and maths average scores of 110 and 109 respectively are comfortably above the national benchmark of 100, and the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading alone is 97%, with maths at 94%. This consistency across subjects suggests a school that delivers reliably strong academic outcomes for the vast majority of its children.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2025, judged that it had improved significantly since its previous graded inspection in 2019, when it was rated Good across all areas. That 2019 inspection had itself been an upgrade from a Requires Improvement rating in 2017, so the trajectory is clearly upward. In the 2023/24 academic year, 87% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and the school ranks in the top 5% nationally on this metric. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of respondents to the Parent View survey would recommend the school, and 88% strongly agreed that their child is happy there. The school’s SEND provision is also well-regarded, with 86% of parents strongly agreeing that children with special educational needs get the support they need.

Harden is a state primary school for children aged 4 to 11, with a capacity of 214 and currently 213 pupils on roll, so it is essentially full. It is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry there were 103 applications for 30 places, a ratio of 3.43 applicants per place, and 29 of those 30 places went to first-preference families. The school offers a range of facilities including a library, music rooms, gymnasium, outdoor playground and a chapel, and runs clubs such as book club, drama, gardening and eco club. Sports on offer include cricket, football, athletics, gymnastics and dance. SEND support covers specific learning difficulties, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. This is a school that suits families looking for strong academic results in a well-regarded, oversubscribed setting with good parental satisfaction and a clear upward trajectory.

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