St Andrew's CofE (VA) Junior School

About St Andrew's CofE (VA) Junior School

St Andrew's CofE (VA) Junior School in Calderdale has been rated Outstanding by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in December 2022, a clear step up from its previous Good rating. The inspection judged every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management — as Outstanding. That judgement is backed up by strong academic outcomes. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 tests, 76% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure places the school 10th out of 73 primary schools in Calderdale, comfortably inside the top 25% nationally. It also sits well above the local authority average of 59%, meaning children here are significantly more likely to leave Year 6 meeting the expected benchmarks than their peers across the borough.

Digging into the detail, the school’s strongest subject at KS2 was reading, where 87% of pupils hit the expected standard and 24% reached the higher standard. Maths was close behind at 85% expected and 26% higher, while writing also saw 87% hitting the expected mark. Average scaled scores of 106 in reading and 105 in maths are both above the national benchmark of 100. The school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to say how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. However, the combination of a top-tier Ofsted rating and strong raw attainment suggests a consistent, well-led approach to the core subjects. Only 2% of pupils achieved the higher standard in writing, which is notably low compared with reading and maths, and may be an area the school is working on.

St Andrew’s is a Church of England voluntary aided junior school for children aged 7 to 11, with 234 pupils on roll against a capacity of 240. It is not oversubscribed by a wide margin, so families in the catchment have a realistic chance of a place. The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, library, ICT suite, music rooms, playing fields and a forest school. Clubs include drama, science club and choir, and sports on offer range from athletics and netball to cricket and tennis. The SEND register covers a wide spectrum of needs, including dyslexia, speech and language difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, and physical disabilities. For families looking for a strong academic primary with a clear Christian character and a full set of specialist facilities, St Andrew’s is a standout option in Calderdale.

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