Hillside Primary School

About Hillside Primary School

Parent feedback at Hillside Primary School is mixed, with 67% of respondents saying they would recommend the school, though this is based on just 18 responses. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 76 applications for 35 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.17, and all 31 first-preference applicants were offered a place. On specific questions, 89% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child feels safe, and 78% agreed their child does well. However, only 39% agreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and 33% said they would not recommend the school. The most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2024 rated the school Good across all areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. This was consistent with its previous Good rating from 2018, though that earlier inspection had rated early years provision as Requires Improvement.

Academically, Hillside sits in the bottom half of primary schools nationally. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 53% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, below the Kirklees local authority average of 60%. The school ranks 66th out of 144 primary schools in Kirklees. Individual subject scores show 65% reached the expected standard in reading and maths, and 72% in writing. Higher standard attainment was low: 19% in reading, 7% in maths, and just 2% in writing. Average scaled scores were 101 in both reading and maths, exactly at the national average of 100. The school has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 49.2%, which is significantly above the national average and likely a factor in its academic profile. Progress scores are not available in the data.

Hillside is a mixed, non-religious state primary for ages 3 to 11, with nursery provision on site. It currently has 305 pupils against a capacity of 367, so there is some room for growth. The school offers a range of facilities including a library, playing fields, gymnasium, sports hall, ICT suite, music rooms, art studios and a chapel. Sports include dance, cross country, rounders, gymnastics, netball, tennis and athletics, and there are clubs for gardening, chess, art and coding. SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and physical disability. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Spring Grove Junior Infant and Nursery School, 1.4 km away. Hillside suits families who value a local, oversubscribed school with strong safeguarding perceptions, but who are comfortable with academic results that sit below the local average.

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