Birstall Primary Academy, Batley
Birstall Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Batley, part of Focus Academy Trust (uk) Ltd. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 17 schools in Batley with published results, and 7,071st of 14,452 across England. It was 88% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kirklees (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Birstall Primary Academy in detail
Birstall Primary Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Birstall Primary Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We comply with statutory requirements and adopt a best-practice approach to safeguarding and safer recruitment at all times. For more information, please see our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy ."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at Birstall Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Kirklees and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (66% in reading, 86% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Birstall Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put Birstall Primary Academy as their first choice and 105 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Birstall Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Birstall Primary Academy are St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior, Infant and Early Years School (0.3 miles, Good, 97% reading, 93% maths); St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 94% reading, 91% maths); Windmill CofE Primary School (0.6 miles); and Windmill CofE (VC) Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 83% reading, 78% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Birstall Primary Academy.
St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior, Infant and Early Years SchoolSt Patrick's Catholic Primary AcademyWindmill CofE Primary SchoolWindmill CofE (VC) Primary School
The trust
Birstall Primary Academy is one of 15 schools run by Focus Academy Trust (uk) Ltd, an academy trust.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Batley Rail Station, about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Birstall Market Place D, 40 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Birstall Primary Academy issued 4 suspensions, 2.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Birstall Primary Academy are Batley Girls' High School (0.6 miles), Batley Grammar School (1 mile) and BBG Academy (1.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from October 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
27.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 66% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 86% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 79% to 70% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.7
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Birstall Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Birstall Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Kirklees
Term dates
Birstall Primary Academy 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 Birstall Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Birstall Primary Academy 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
- 35
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 35 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 10 serious and 24 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 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 Birstall Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Birstall Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Birstall Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Birstall Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Birstall Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kirklees, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Birstall Primary Academy for 2014 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
88%
Available places
185 pupils
210 places
25 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Batley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Batley
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(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
25
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
16.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
187
Total Pupils
85
Boys
102
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
18.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,386
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,679
Per pupil
£1220k
Total funding
£86k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
12.1%
Persistent absence
165
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Birstall Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Birstall Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Birstall Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Birstall Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Birstall Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Birstall Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Birstall Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Birstall Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Kirklees allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Birstall Primary Academy?
Birstall Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Birstall Primary Academy?
Classes at Birstall Primary Academy average 26.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Birstall Primary Academy?
Birstall Primary Academy has around 187 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Birstall Primary Academy?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Birstall Primary Academy in 2024/25. 12.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Birstall Primary Academy?
Apply through Kirklees's coordinated admissions process, naming Birstall Primary Academy 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.
Does Birstall Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Birstall Primary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Birstall Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 35 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 10 serious and 24 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 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 Birstall Primary Academy?
Birstall Primary Academy is at Chapel Lane, Birstall, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 9EE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)