Birdsedge First School, Huddersfield
Birdsedge First School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 10 in Huddersfield, part of The Mast Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2022. It was 63% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kirklees (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Birdsedge First School in detail
Birdsedge First School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Birdsedge First School. Birdsedge is a small, rural school on the outskirts of Huddersfield. The school is set in a beautiful location, surrounded by the rolling hills and woodland scenery of the Upper Dearne Valley."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Birdsedge First School
For September 2026 entry, 13 families put Birdsedge First School as their first choice and 29 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Birdsedge First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Birdsedge First School are Cumberworth CofE First School (0.8 miles); Shepley First School (1.2 miles, Good); Denby Church of England Voluntary Aided First School (1.5 miles, Good); and Shelley First School (2 miles, Good).
Cumberworth CofE First SchoolShepley First SchoolDenby Church of England Voluntary Aided First SchoolShelley First School
The trust
Birdsedge First School is one of 6 schools run by The Mast Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 10 pupils (16.9%) received SEN support and 8 (13.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Birdsedge First School had 4 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Denby Dale Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Birdsedge Village Hall (at), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 5 crimes within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson, other theft and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Kirklees (153).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Birdsedge First School issued 5 suspensions, 9.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2022 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
25.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
19.7
Avg class size
19.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Birdsedge First School
From Birdsedge First School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Birdsedge First School
Term dates
Birdsedge First School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Kirklees's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Birdsedge First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Birdsedge First School is in Kirklees; for families living there:
- Kirklees's school travel policy: School transport
- How to apply: Apply for school travel support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Kirklees is 12 (the median across 203 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Birdsedge First School
Will you get a place at Birdsedge First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Birdsedge First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Birdsedge First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Birdsedge First School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kirklees, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Birdsedge First School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kirklees got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
63%
Available places
57 pupils
90 places
33 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Huddersfield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Huddersfield
Across Kirklees council
Places available
5,437
Applications
4,554
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Kirklees council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
10
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
30.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
59
Total Pupils
36
Boys
23
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
4
Teachers
14.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,002
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,241
Per pupil
£436k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
8.9%
Persistent absence
45
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Birdsedge First School
What is Birdsedge First School's Ofsted rating?
Birdsedge First School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2018 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Birdsedge First School?
No fixed boundary. When Birdsedge First School is oversubscribed, Kirklees allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Birdsedge First School?
Birdsedge First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 63% of its 90 places.
How big are the classes at Birdsedge First School?
Classes at Birdsedge First School average 19.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Birdsedge First School?
Birdsedge First School has around 59 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Birdsedge First School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Birdsedge First School in 2024/25. 8.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Birdsedge First School?
Apply through Kirklees's coordinated admissions process, naming Birdsedge First School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Birdsedge First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Kirklees is 12 (the median across 203 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Birdsedge First School?
Birdsedge First School is at Birdsedge First School, Penistone Road, Birdsedge, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8XR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)