Heaton Avenue, A Share Primary Academy

About Heaton Avenue, A Share Primary Academy

Heaton Avenue, A Share Primary Academy is a state primary in Kirklees that attracts more families than it has places for. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 72 applications for 39 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.85. Of those, 32 were first-preference applications, and exactly 32 first-preference offers were made, meaning every family who put it first got a spot. That level of demand suggests the school has a solid local reputation, even though official parent-view data isn't available here. The school is led by headteacher Sarah Quinn and has 361 pupils on roll against a capacity of 461, so there is some room to grow. It serves a diverse community, with 25.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, above the national average. The school has nursery provision for children from age three, and its facilities include a gymnasium, ICT suite, sensory room, music rooms, sports hall, and playing fields.

Academically, Heaton Avenue is currently rated Requires Improvement by Ofsted following its May 2024 inspection, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2017. The inspection gave a score of 3 (Requires improvement) across all five categories: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. Early years provision also dropped from a score of 2 (Good) to 3. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, just 35% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, compared to the Kirklees local authority average of 60%. That places the school 90th out of 94 primaries in the local authority ranking, in the bottom 50 nationally. Individual subject scores were mixed: 67% hit the expected standard in writing, but only 49% in reading and 51% in maths. No pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing, and maths combined.

For families considering Heaton Avenue, the practical picture is one of a school with strong community demand but clear academic challenges. The school offers a wide range of clubs including drama, gardening, choir, chess, art club, and book club, plus sports such as swimming, gymnastics, tennis, and cross country. Its SEND provisions are comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and sensory impairments including hearing and visual impairment. The school has a chapel on site, which is unusual for a non-religious community school. Given the oversubscription ratio, families who want a place should apply early, but the first-preference offer rate of 100% is reassuring. This school may suit families who value a broad extracurricular offer and inclusive SEND support, and who are comfortable with a school that is actively working on improvement following its recent Ofsted rating.

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