Highburton CofE First Academy

About Highburton CofE First Academy

Highburton CofE First Academy sits in a local authority where the average Key Stage 2 score for primary schools is 60, but the school itself doesn't publish its own KS2 results in the available data, so it's not possible to say whether it beats or trails that benchmark. What is clear is that the school is popular: for its 23 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, it received 53 applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.3. Twenty-two of those applications were first-preference offers, meaning almost every family who put it first got a place, but the overall demand is more than double the capacity. That kind of local appetite often signals a school that parents trust, even if headline metrics aren't on display. The school is a Church of England first academy for ages 4 to 10, with just 173 pupils against a capacity of 180, so it's running close to full. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2018, rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good.

Academically, the picture is mixed because the data doesn't include any exam or test scores for Highburton. The Ofsted report from 2018 gave the school a Good rating for overall effectiveness, but it didn't publish sub-judgements for quality of education, behaviour, or personal development in the structured breakdown. The previous graded inspection in 2014 also awarded Good, but before that, in 2012, the school was rated Requires Improvement. So the trajectory has been upward, and the school has held a Good rating across its two most recent graded inspections. Without KS2 SATs or a Progress 8 figure, it's hard to compare directly with the Kirklees average of 60, but the fact that the school has maintained Good through two inspections suggests solid, if not standout, academic provision. The local authority has 8 outstanding primary schools out of 144 total, so Highburton is in the majority Good tier rather than the top bracket.

For families considering Highburton, the practical offering is strong. The school has a Forest School, a chapel, music rooms, a sports hall, and playing fields, which is a decent range for a small first school. Clubs include Science, Eco, Book, and Film, and sports run from cross country and cricket to dance and gymnastics. The SEND provision is focused on speech, language and communication, which is a specific but common need. The school is oversubscribed, so applying early and as a first preference is wise. It's a Church of England school, so faith character may matter to some families, though the admissions data doesn't specify a faith criterion. With no nursery or sixth form, it's strictly for ages 4 to 10, meaning parents will need to plan for a transition at Year 5 or 6. This is a school that suits families who value a small, full-capacity setting with a clear moral framework and a broad extracurricular offer, even if the academic data is less visible than at some peers.

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