Northowram Primary School, Halifax
Northowram Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Halifax. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 42 schools in Halifax with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2016)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Calderdale (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Northowram Primary School in detail
Northowram Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of the Northowram family, I would like to warmly welcome you to Northowram Primary School. I have worked at Northowram Primary school for over 12 years, leading the school through a journey of many exciting developments and changes including highly successful Ofsted Inspections (Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ June 2016)."
Coming up: an admissions event on Tuesday 3 November 2026 at 2pm, an open evening on Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 6pm and an admissions event on Thursday 10 December 2026 at 2pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Calderdale
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils at Northowram Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 78% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Calderdale and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 90% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Northowram Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 72 families put Northowram Primary School as their first choice and 128 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 13 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Northowram Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Northowram Primary School are Salterlee Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 67% reading, 67% maths); Shelf Junior and Infant School (0.8 miles, Good, 69% reading, 66% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy (1.3 miles, 100% reading, 100% maths); and St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary & Pre School (1.4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 84% maths).
Northowram Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Salterlee Primary SchoolShelf Junior and Infant SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary AcademySt Michael and All Angels CofE Primary & Pre School
What parents say
87 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Northowram Primary School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 55% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (55%).
Who goes there
10.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Halifax Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Northowram War Memorial, 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Northowram Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 33 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Calderdale (102).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Northowram Primary School issued 5 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; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2016, 10 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
Northowram is a happy, welcoming school where children thrive academically and personally. Pupils achieve very highly in reading and phonics thanks to expert teaching, and the early years is particularly outstanding for developing children's confidence and communication. The school goes the extra mile to support all learners, including those with additional needs, and pupils benefit from a rich curriculum that includes meaningful outdoor learning.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding early years provision with exceptional support for children's language and communication skills
- High-quality phonics teaching leading to very strong reading achievement
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND who receive the right help at the right time
- Well-planned curriculum that builds progressively across year groups
- Outstanding outdoor learning programme integrated across the curriculum
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers lack subject-specific knowledge in certain curriculum areas, which can mean pupils' misconceptions are missed
- Attendance for a small number of pupils remains too low and school actions have not yet been effective
- Achievement in subjects not assessed nationally is not quite as high as in reading and phonics
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place to keep children safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Funky fitness, Christmas ceramics, clubs and activities that build pupils' interests and talents
Northowram Primary School is a good school where pupils are happy, well-behaved, and achieve consistently well in national assessments, particularly in phonics and reading. The early years provision is outstanding, with excellent support for children's language development and learning.
At a Glance
10.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
87 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 remained stable at around 88% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.8
Avg class size
29.5
Infant (KS1)
30.2
KS2
11
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Northowram Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Northowram Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Northowram Primary School is in Calderdale; for families living there:
Apply to Calderdale for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 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 Calderdale is 12 (the median across 114 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 Northowram Primary School
Will you get a place at Northowram Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Northowram Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Northowram Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Northowram Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Calderdale, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Northowram Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Calderdale 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
99%
Near capacity
416 pupils
420 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Halifax
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Halifax
Across Calderdale council
Places available
2,848
Applications
1,863
Got 1st preference
96.6%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Calderdale council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
79
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
21.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
451
Total Pupils
225
Boys
226
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
21.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,626
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,052
Per pupil
£2283k
Total funding
£77k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
7.5%
Persistent absence
361
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
Northowram Primary School
Questions parents ask about Northowram Primary School
What are SATs results like at Northowram Primary School?
Of the pupils at Northowram Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% reached the expected standard in reading and 78% did so in maths.
What is Northowram Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Northowram Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2016, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Northowram Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Northowram Primary School is oversubscribed, Calderdale allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Northowram Primary School?
Northowram Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Northowram Primary School?
Classes at Northowram Primary School average 29.8 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Northowram Primary School?
Northowram Primary School has around 451 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Northowram Primary School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Northowram Primary School in 2024/25. 7.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Northowram Primary School?
Apply through Calderdale's coordinated admissions process, naming Northowram 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 Northowram Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 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 Calderdale is 12 (the median across 114 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Northowram Primary School?
Northowram Primary School is at Baxter Lane, Northowram, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 7EF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)