Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Dewsbury
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Dewsbury. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 12 schools in Dewsbury with published results, and 2,457th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Capacity
- 99% full
- Attendance
- In line with England
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School in detail
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Bywell CE (C) Junior School is an inclusive school where we are all ‘ Learning Together and Growing Together.’ We have high expectations of all our children, and endeavour to enable them all to achieve their potential. Our core values of Friendship, Compassion, Peace, Justice and Endurance underpin everything that we do."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Kirklees and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 90% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
Across Kirklees, 94% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Kirklees lodged 196 appeals against primary school offers; 125 reached a hearing and 25 succeeded (20% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School are Hanging Heaton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School (0.5 miles, Good, 90% reading, 85% maths); Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement); Eastborough Academy (0.7 miles, 75% reading, 71% maths); and Mill Lane Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 75% reading, 85% maths).
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Hanging Heaton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant SchoolShaw Cross Infant and Nursery SchoolEastborough AcademyMill Lane Primary School
Who goes there
8.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (69%), Asian (23%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 70 pupils (18.2%) received SEN support and 7 (1.8%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Batley Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Selso Road, 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 308 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kirklees (153), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School issued 4 suspensions, 1.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2018, 7 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 December 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
28.9%
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 declined from 93% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 90% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 74% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
32.0
Avg class size
32.0
KS2
12
Total classes
12 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
Term dates
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Kirklees. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 21 February to Friday 25 February 2028)
- Summer term: Monday 24 April to Tuesday 25 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior 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
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 12 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
5 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
383 pupils
388 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dewsbury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dewsbury
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.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
70
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
20.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
384
Total Pupils
203
Boys
181
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
20.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,379
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,359
Per pupil
£2288k
Total funding
£167k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
12.1%
Persistent absence
389
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
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
Questions parents ask about Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
What are SATs results like at Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Of the pupils at Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior 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 Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Classes at Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School average 32 pupils (2025/26). 12 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School has around 384 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School in 2024/25. 12.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Apply through Kirklees's coordinated admissions process, naming Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
What are Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's term dates?
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Kirklees. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 7 April 2028 (half term Monday 21 February to Friday 25 February 2028); Summer term: Monday 24 April to Tuesday 25 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 12 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 5 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 Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is at Bendigo Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 7LX.
Sources: Kirklees term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)