Shelf Junior and Infant School, Halifax
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
The school has created a safe, welcoming environment where pupils behave well and feel secure. Staff receive excellent training in safeguarding and child protection. Pupils with additional needs, including those requiring special educational support and disadvantaged pupils, receive targeted help that is making a real difference to their progress.
Key Strengths
- Pupils behave well and are courteous and polite to each other and adults
- Strong culture of safeguarding with effective arrangements to keep pupils safe
- Pupils with special educational needs receive good-quality support and make good progress
- Phonics teaching is effective with outcomes above the national average in Year 1
- Pupil premium funding is having positive impact on disadvantaged pupils' achievements
Areas for Improvement
- Leadership roles and responsibilities are unclear, slowing improvement
- Teaching varies significantly between classes and expectations are inconsistent, especially for most able pupils
- Curriculum provides insufficient challenging opportunities in science, history and geography, particularly in key stage 2
- Reading and comprehension skills in key stage 2 need improvement
- Early years children do not make sufficient progress and are not well prepared for Year 1
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with appropriate staff checks, regular comprehensive training, and clear records of vulnerable pupils kept.
Extracurricular Activities
Dancercise, physical activity and sports programs
Shelf Junior and Infant School requires improvement overall. The school has made some progress, particularly in key stage 1 where standards are now broadly average, but leadership clarity and teaching quality remain inconsistent.
At a Glance
12.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
27 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 76% to 69%. Maths has improved from 52% to 66%. Writing has declined from 66% to 55%.
Class Sizes
25.4
Avg class size
23.5
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
9
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
70%
Available places
221 pupils
315 capacity
94 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Halifax
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Halifax
Admissions Demand - Calderdale
Places available
2,943
Applications
1,899
Got 1st preference
95.6%
Got preferred school
98.9%
Primary admissions across Calderdale (2025/26)
Inspection History(107)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.85398%
Overall absence
11.55779%
Persistent absence
199
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Reviews
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Shelf Junior and Infant School
Nearby Schools
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