Hendal Primary School, Wakefield
Hendal Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Wakefield. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 43rd-highest of the 51 schools in Wakefield with published results, and 11,035th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- 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 Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Hendal Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Hendal Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 66% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (64% in reading, 75% in maths).
Getting a place at Hendal Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put Hendal Primary School as their first choice and 93 named it as one of their preferences, for 37 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 Hendal Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hendal Primary School are Crigglestone St James CofE Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 68% reading, 75% maths); Crigglestone Dane Royd Junior and Infant School (1.1 miles, Outstanding, 93% reading, 93% maths); Crigglestone Mackie Hill Junior and Infant School (1.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 83% maths); and Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School (1.3 miles, Good, 55% reading, 61% maths).
Hendal Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Crigglestone St James CofE Primary AcademyCrigglestone Dane Royd Junior and Infant SchoolCrigglestone Mackie Hill Junior and Infant SchoolSandal Castle VA Community Primary School
What parents say
37 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hendal Primary School (as of September 2025): 84% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 87 pupils (21.2%) received SEN support and 8 (2%) 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 Sandal & Agbrigg Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hendal School (at), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hendal Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hendal Primary School issued 11 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hendal Primary School are Kettlethorpe High School (0.5 miles); and St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy (1.6 miles).
Kettlethorpe High SchoolSt Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hendal Primary School creates a warm, welcoming environment where children feel genuinely valued and safe. Teachers deliver excellent phonics teaching and reading instruction, and the school provides outstanding personal development opportunities including community projects and diverse enrichment activities. Parents consistently praise the school's caring staff who go above and beyond to support children and families.
Key Strengths
- Excellent phonics teaching with well-trained staff ensuring pupils learn sounds quickly and confidently
- Outstanding personal development programme preparing pupils exceptionally well for life in modern Britain
- Very effective support for pupils with SEND, with staff making thoughtful adaptations to reduce barriers to learning
- Exemplary behaviour and positive attitudes throughout the school
- Strong early years provision with excellent relationships and high expectations
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum in some subjects lacks clear focus on essential knowledge and skills, causing uneven progress compared to better-sequenced subjects
- Teacher assessments at the end of learning sequences not always focused on expected learning outcomes
- Overall school attendance needs improvement, with some pupils missing important learning due to persistent absence
- Early years curriculum does not always identify expected steps in learning clearly enough
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Wide range of clubs and activities, sustainability projects with local businesses, visits and visitors, breakfast and after-school club
Hendal Primary School is an engaging and nurturing place where pupils thrive in a supportive environment with strong relationships and positive attitudes. The school maintains good quality education across most areas, with outstanding personal development provision.
At a Glance
32.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
37 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 64% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 75% to 66% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 69% to 64% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.3
Avg class size
25.7
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hendal Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hendal Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hendal Primary School is in Wakefield; for families living there:
- Wakefield's school travel policy: Home To School Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
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.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
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 Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 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 Hendal Primary School
Will you get a place at Hendal Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hendal Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hendal Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hendal Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hendal Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wakefield 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
89%
Available places
374 pupils
420 places
46 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wakefield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wakefield
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,391
Applications
3,654
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
87
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
23.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
410
Total Pupils
196
Boys
214
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
18.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,741
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,716
Per pupil
£2480k
Total funding
£201k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
16.6%
Persistent absence
338
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
Hendal Primary School
Questions parents ask about Hendal Primary School
What are SATs results like at Hendal Primary School?
Of the pupils at Hendal Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 66% did so in maths.
What is Hendal Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Hendal Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Hendal Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Hendal Primary School is oversubscribed, Wakefield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hendal Primary School?
Hendal Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Hendal Primary School?
Classes at Hendal Primary School average 25.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hendal Primary School?
Hendal Primary School has around 410 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hendal Primary School?
5.4% of sessions were missed at Hendal Primary School in 2024/25. 16.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hendal Primary School?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Hendal Primary 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 Hendal Primary 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. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 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 Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hendal Primary School?
Hendal Primary School is at Hendal Lane, Wakefield, WF2 7QW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)