Emley First School, Huddersfield
Emley First School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 10 in Huddersfield. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024. It was 85% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
Emley First School in detail
Getting a place at Emley First School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Emley First School as their first choice and 60 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Emley First School are Flockton CofE (C) First School (1.1 miles, Good); Kaye's Academy (1.7 miles); Scissett Church of England Academy (1.7 miles, Outstanding); and Skelmanthorpe Academy (1.7 miles, Good).
Flockton CofE (C) First SchoolKaye's AcademyScissett Church of England AcademySkelmanthorpe Academy
Who goes there
11.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Mixed (11%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Denby Dale Rail Station, about 3.3 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Emley Church Street, 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 4 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
Emley First School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: 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
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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at creating confident, independent learners who develop a genuine love of reading and learning. Children benefit from enriching experiences like theatre visits, seaside trips, and residential outdoor activity visits, while every pupil learns to play musical instruments. The school's strong focus on kindness, inclusion and community means all children - including those with additional needs - flourish and feel valued.
Key Strengths
- Broad and ambitious curriculum delivered consistently with exceptional subject knowledge and depth
- Strong emphasis on reading - children become competent readers rapidly through daily teaching and reading buddy schemes
- Outstanding support for pupils with SEND, who access the same curriculum as peers with personalised strategies
- Exemplary wider development with enriching visits, visitors, outdoor learning, and leadership opportunities
- Pupils show remarkable empathy, kindness, and respect for diversity with zero tolerance for bullying
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture where pupils know it is a 'telling school' and adults help resolve disagreements.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports leaders roles, care crew, music lessons on multiple instruments, theatre visits, seaside trips, residential visits to outdoor activity centres, outdoor learning area visits, community events, local fundraising activities
Emley First School is an outstanding school where pupils thrive academically and socially, guided by the school's mission of 'learning and growing together with kindness, confidence, and high aspirations'. Pupils are well-prepared for the next stage of learning with exemplary attitudes and remarkable empathy for others.
At a Glance
11.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
30.0
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Emley First School
Term dates
Emley First School is a community 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
Check free transport to Emley First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Emley 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 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 Emley First School
Will you get a place at Emley First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Emley First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Emley First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Emley 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 Emley First School 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
85%
Available places
128 pupils
150 places
22 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(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
21.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
137
Total Pupils
65
Boys
72
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
19.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,532
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,596
Per pupil
£797k
Total funding
£17k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
10.6%
Persistent absence
113
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
Emley First School
Questions parents ask about Emley First School
What is Emley First School's Ofsted rating?
Emley First School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024.
What is the catchment area for Emley First School?
No fixed boundary. When Emley 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 Emley First School?
Emley First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 150 places.
How big are the classes at Emley First School?
Classes at Emley First School average 30 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Emley First School?
Emley First School has around 137 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Emley First School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Emley First School in 2024/25. 10.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Emley First School?
Apply through Kirklees's coordinated admissions process, naming Emley 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.
What are Emley First School's term dates?
Emley First School is a community 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 Emley First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 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 Emley First School?
Emley First School is at School Lane, Emley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 9RT.
Sources: Kirklees term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)