Shibden Head Primary Academy, Bradford
Shibden Head Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bradford, part of Focus Academy Trust (uk) Ltd. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 85th-highest of the 110 schools in Bradford with published results, and 12,253rd of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- 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 Bradford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Shibden Head Primary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils at Shibden Head Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 61% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Bradford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 81% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Shibden Head Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 52 families put Shibden Head Primary Academy as their first choice and 113 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 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 Shibden Head Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Shibden Head Primary Academy are Russell Hall Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 77% reading, 67% maths); Foxhill Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 87% reading, 90% maths); Bradshaw Primary School (1.3 miles, Good, 90% reading, 85% maths); and Stocks Lane Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 70% reading, 83% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Shibden Head Primary Academy.
Russell Hall Primary SchoolFoxhill Primary SchoolBradshaw Primary SchoolStocks Lane Primary School
The trust
Shibden Head Primary Academy is one of 15 schools run by Focus Academy Trust (uk) Ltd, an academy trust.
Who goes there
13.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (88%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 52 pupils (13%) received SEN support and 9 (2.2%) 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 Halifax Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Highfield Terrace (at), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 65 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Bradford (404).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Shibden Head Primary Academy issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Shibden Head Primary Academy are Trinity Academy Bradford (0.3 miles), Trinity Academy Halifax (1.2 miles) and The North Halifax Grammar School (1.3 miles).
Trinity Academy BradfordTrinity Academy HalifaxThe North Halifax Grammar School
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
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
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
13.5%
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 81% to 66% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 81% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 68% to 61% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
27.8
Infant (KS1)
29.7
KS2
11
Total classes
4 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 Shibden Head Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Shibden Head Primary Academy.
- Kanga Kare Shibden HeadAt the school · Not yet graded
- GDPR Tuition Out of School Club710m away · Not yet graded
- Kip McGrath Education UK Limited710m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Shibden Head Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Shibden Head Primary Academy is in Bradford; for families living there:
- Bradford's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy for children of compulsory school age
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 12 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 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 Shibden Head Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Shibden Head Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Shibden Head Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Shibden Head Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Shibden Head Primary Academy.
- Bradford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Shibden Head Primary Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Shibden Head Primary Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bradford 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
98%
Near capacity
411 pupils
419 places
8 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bradford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bradford
Across Bradford council
Places available
7,475
Applications
6,301
Got 1st preference
92.3%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Bradford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
15.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
401
Total Pupils
187
Boys
214
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
20.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,184
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2220k
Total funding
£89k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
8.8%
Persistent absence
365
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
Shibden Head Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Shibden Head Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Shibden Head Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Shibden Head Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 66% reached the expected standard in reading and 61% did so in maths.
What is Shibden Head Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Shibden Head Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2023.
What is the catchment area for Shibden Head Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Shibden Head Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Bradford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Shibden Head Primary Academy?
Shibden Head Primary Academy was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Shibden Head Primary Academy?
Classes at Shibden Head Primary Academy average 29 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Shibden Head Primary Academy?
Shibden Head Primary Academy has around 401 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Shibden Head Primary Academy?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Shibden Head Primary Academy in 2024/25. 8.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Shibden Head Primary Academy?
Apply through Bradford's coordinated admissions process, naming Shibden Head Primary Academy 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.
Does Shibden Head Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Kanga Kare Shibden Head (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Shibden Head Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 12 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Shibden Head Primary Academy?
Shibden Head Primary Academy is at Hainsworth Moor Grove, Queensbury, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD13 2ND.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)