South Hiendley Primary School

About South Hiendley Primary School

South Hiendley Primary School is a mixed, state primary for children aged 3 to 11, located in the Wakefield local authority. With 190 pupils on roll against a capacity of 230, the school is operating well below its maximum, leaving room for growth. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 33.3%, which is significantly higher than the national average of around 23% and suggests a catchment with above-average levels of disadvantage. Despite this spare capacity, demand for places is strong: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 32 applications for 20 places, with 19 of those coming as first preferences. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 1.6, meaning the school is turning away families who want a place. The school does not have a religious character, and its headteacher is Sally Henshall. Nursery provision is available on site, which can be a practical consideration for families with younger siblings.

Academically, South Hiendley’s most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2022 rated the school Good overall, with Good in every category including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. This marks a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2016, when it was rated Requires Improvement. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 59% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is below the Wakefield local authority average of 64%, placing the school 60th out of 97 primaries in the area and in the bottom 50% nationally. Individual subject scores show 64% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, 68% in writing, and 59% in maths. Higher standard attainment was low: 9% in reading and maths, and none in writing or the combined measure. Average scaled scores were 102 in reading and 99 in maths.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, playing fields, sports hall, art studios, gymnasium, ICT suite and a chapel. Sports provision covers dance, rounders, netball and football, while after-school clubs include coding, art club and film club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Grove Lea Primary School, 3.5 kilometres away, which may be worth considering for families prioritising top Ofsted grades. South Hiendley is a good fit for families who value a community school with improving outcomes, a strong SEND offer, and a nursery on site, but who are comfortable with below-average KS2 results compared with the local authority.

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