At the top of the list is this local authority-maintained primary school in Dewsbury, in the Kirklees borough. It was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted, and has a roll size of about 218. In the 2023/24 school year, 97% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 59% locally and 61% nationally.placeholder image
At the top of the list is this local authority-maintained primary school in Dewsbury, in the Kirklees borough. It was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted, and has a roll size of about 218. In the 2023/24 school year, 97% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 59% locally and 61% nationally. | National World

The 22 best-performing state primary schools in West Yorkshire - where children ace English and maths skills

Amber Allott
By Amber Allott

Education & science writer

Published 22nd Sep 2025, 12:30 GMT

These local primary schools have proven they excel, when it comes to teaching key school skills 🧮

With the guidance and support of their teachers and school community, primary school will see young people lay the bricks that form the foundations of a lifetime of learning.

Schoolchildren from across West Yorkshire returned to class for the new, 2025/26 school year at the start of the month, including thousands of new starters entering Reception. But parents of children as young as three will also be thinking about primary school, with applications for next year’s places open now.

With the primary school years being so important for young learners, these parents will want to make sure the school they choose is the right fit for their child. That is why we’ve revisited the highest-performing state primaries across the Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield council areas - using our own unique metric.

The key figure our league table uses is the proportion of each school’s pupils who completed Year 6 in the most recent academic year (currently 2023/24), and met the Government’s expected standards in three key areas: reading, writing and maths. But performance isn’t the only measure of a school’s strengths, so we’ve also made sure each one included had a positive mark in its latest Ofsted inspection.

These are set to change before the end of the year, but for now, we’ve limited our league table to schools with either a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ overall grade under the previous system, or positive ratings across all categories under the current one. This means that quality of education, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management, and safeguarding practices all met or exceeded Government standards.

Here were the 22 schools from across West Yorkshire which did especially well:

Halfpenny Lane is a primary academy in Pontefract. It has a roll size of about 443, and in a recent Ofsted inspection, was found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories. In the 2023/24 school year, 88% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

13. Halfpenny Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School

Halfpenny Lane is a primary academy in Pontefract. It has a roll size of about 443, and in a recent Ofsted inspection, was found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories. In the 2023/24 school year, 88% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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Orchard Head is another Pontefract primary academy, most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. It has a roll size of about 340. In the 2023/24 school year, 88% of its pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

14. Orchard Head Junior and Infant and Nursery School

Orchard Head is another Pontefract primary academy, most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. It has a roll size of about 340. In the 2023/24 school year, 88% of its pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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This is a maintained Anglican junior school in Ossett, which takes pupils from the age of 7. It has a roll size of about 337, and in a recent Ofsted inspection, was found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories. In the 2023/24 school year, 88% of its pupils once again met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

15. Ossett Southdale Church of England Junior School

This is a maintained Anglican junior school in Ossett, which takes pupils from the age of 7. It has a roll size of about 337, and in a recent Ofsted inspection, was found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories. In the 2023/24 school year, 88% of its pupils once again met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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Roundhay is a maintained all-through school in Leeds, most recently rated ‘outstanding’ overall by Ofsted. It has a total roll size of about 2,518. In the 2023/24 school year, 88% of its primary pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 59% locally and 61% nationally.

16. Roundhay School

Roundhay is a maintained all-through school in Leeds, most recently rated ‘outstanding’ overall by Ofsted. It has a total roll size of about 2,518. In the 2023/24 school year, 88% of its primary pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 59% locally and 61% nationally. | Yorkshire Post Newspapers

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West End is a primary academy in Hemsworth, most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. It has a roll size of about 187. In the 2023/24 school year, it too had 88% of its pupils meet the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

17. West End Academy

West End is a primary academy in Hemsworth, most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. It has a roll size of about 187. In the 2023/24 school year, it too had 88% of its pupils meet the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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This is a primary academy in the village of Harden, near Bingley. It was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted, and has a roll size of about 213. In the 2023/24 school year, 87% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 59% locally and 61% nationally.

18. Harden Primary School

This is a primary academy in the village of Harden, near Bingley. It was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted, and has a roll size of about 213. In the 2023/24 school year, 87% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths – compared to averages of 59% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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