Find the best primary schools in Calderdale. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Calderdale has 83 primary schools, all in Calderdale council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 83, 29 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Calderdale primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Luddendenfoot Academy | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Bailiffe Bridge Junior and Infant School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| All Saints' CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| St John's Primary School In Rishworth | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Mary's CofE (VC) J and I School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Wainstalls School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| St Andrew's Church of England (VA) Infant School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Trinity Academy St Chad's | Church of England |
There are 83 primary schools in Calderdale. Of those, 2 are all-through schools, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 83 primary schools in Calderdale, 29 have a religious character: 22 Church of England and 7 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Luddendenfoot Academy (4.7), Bailiffe Bridge Junior and Infant School (4.5), All Saints' CofE Primary School (4.5), St John's Primary School In Rishworth (4.5) and St Mary's CofE (VC) J and I School (4.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 83 schools here, 77 have enough published data for a rating.
| 4.3 / 5 |
| St Andrew's CofE (VA) Junior School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| The Greetland Academy | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy | Roman Catholic | 4.2 / 5 |
| Woodhouse Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Bowling Green Academy | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Dean Field Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Warley Road Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Parkinson Lane Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Riverside Junior School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Scout Road Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Bradshaw Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Colden Junior and Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Shade Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Holywell Green Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Triangle CofE VC Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Trinity Academy St Peter's | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Copley Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Walsden St Peter's CE (VC) Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Northowram Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Warley Town School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Abbey Park Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Norland CE School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Barkisland CofE VA Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.7 / 5 |
| Cross Lane Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.7 / 5 |
| Ripponden Junior and Infant School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Ling Bob Junior, Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Christ Church CofE VA Junior School, Sowerby Bridge | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Mount Pellon Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Carr Green Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Cliffe Hill Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Castle Hill Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Longroyde Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.5 / 5 |
| Trinity Academy Akroydon | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Holy Trinity Primary School, A Church of England Academy | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| West Vale Academy | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Moorside Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| New Road Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Withinfields Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Salterhebble Junior and Infant School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Ferney Lee Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| The Halifax Academy | all-through | 3.3 / 5 |
| Trinity Academy Whitehill | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Lightcliffe C of E Primary School | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Siddal Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Luddenden CofE School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Old Earth Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy | Roman Catholic | 3.2 / 5 |
| St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary & Pre School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Beech Hill School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Ash Green Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Shelf Junior and Infant School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Lee Mount Academy | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Bolton Brow Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Salterlee Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Field Lane Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 2.8 / 5 |
| Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School | Church of England | 2.7 / 5 |
| Savile Park Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Todmorden CofE J, I & N School | Church of England | 2.4 / 5 |
| Burnley Road Academy | Mixed | 2.4 / 5 |
| Hebden Royd CofE Primary School | Church of England | 2.3 / 5 |
| St Malachy's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | Roman Catholic | 2.2 / 5 |
| Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 1.9 / 5 |
| Christ Church Pellon CofE VC Primary School | Church of England | 1.4 / 5 |
| St Augustine's CofE School | Church of England | 1.0 / 5 |
| Central Street Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Heptonstall Junior Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Midgley School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Old Town Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Stubbings Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| The Calder Learning Trust | all-through | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.