Schoolchecker.uk — find the right school for the right future

Schools in WF12 postcode district

Schools in postcode district WF12. Add your full home postcode below for distance filtering and a your neighbourhood comparison with the wider WF12 area.

Covers: Chickenley, Earlsheaton, Paradise, Savile Town, Shaw Cross, Thornhill, and Thornhill Lees

Add your home postcode in the green box below. Until then, distances use the centre of WF12. The list starts at 3 miles — you can change that. Not an official school catchment.

13state-funded schools in WF12, Kirklees (+8 independent, fees usually apply; +2 independent special, usually LA-funded; within 3 miles, including neighbouring districts)

  • 10Primary
  • 2Secondary
  • 1Other
  • 10Independent
  • 2024–25DfE & Ofsted

Neighbourhood & area context

The figures below use three different geographies. Your neighbourhood appears when you add your full postcode. WF12 covers the schools and averages on this page. Kirklees is the whole council area for census figures, which may not match your street. Estimated crime uses that council's population but is scaled by deprivation near schools in WF12, so it can differ from other districts in the same council. We only show statistics we have for this district.

Area snapshot for WF12

Crime, deprivation near local schools, and Ofsted outcomes for schools in WF12, each shown separately. Estimated crime is scaled by deprivation near schools in this postcode district. Deprivation and school inspections also relate to this district. We do not give the area an overall score.

  • CrimeLikely above England average144.6 crimes per 1,000 residents · ~last 12 monthsIndicative for WF12 (deprivation near schools here; uses Kirklees population)
  • Deprivation near schoolsSlightly more deprived than average for EnglandIMD band 3 of 10 nationallyNeighbourhoods around schools in WF12
  • School inspectionsGenerally Good10 of 11 graded Good or Outstanding (17 schools in WF12)Schools in postcode district WF12

Add your full home postcode in the green box above to compare your street with WF12 and Kirklees.

More local context

House prices, flood risk, broadband and transport for this postcode district, in addition to the snapshot above.

  • Typical house prices£205,944 (+5.4% year on year)Postcode district WF12 (where available)
  • Flood riskLowPostcode district WF12
  • BroadbandGigabit available (91%+ premises, 300+ Mbps)Postcode district WF12

Postcode district WF12

Schools and other averages for postcode district WF12. This matches the map and school list before you change the distance filter.

Schools in district
13 (10 primary, 2 secondary)
Average attendance
95.3%
Average free school meals
33.5%
Average SEN
27.5%
Average EAL
28.9%
Deprivation around local schools
Slightly more deprived than average for England
Average house price
£205,944 (+5.4% year on year)
Flood risk
Low
Broadband
Gigabit available (91%+ premises, 300+ Mbps)
Green space
Good – parks and playing fields within walking distance
Council tax
Typical band A–B

Wider area: Kirklees

Census and crime for the whole of Kirklees. These figures are council-wide and are not broken down to your village or street.

Population
433,222
Households
169,121
Aged under 18
22.6%
Aged 16–64 (approx.)
59.7%
Aged 65+
17.7%
Ethnicity
White 74%, Asian 19%, Mixed 3%
Crimes (estimated)
62,644
Crimes per 1,000 (estimated)
144.6Above national average

About these figures: School statistics mostly 2024–25. Pipeline checked Sept 2026. Wider-area lines use Census 2021 for Kirklees. Crime figures are rough estimates for WF12: national rates scaled by deprivation near schools here (using Kirklees population), not police records for your street. Use the (i) on each row for source and geography. Full methodology · Data updates

Map of schools in this area

The map shows 17 schools in postcode district WF12. Numbered circles group nearby schools — click to zoom in. Use the list beside the map, a pin, or Show on map on a school card below.

Map key (phases, Ofsted, markers)

Pin colour shows school phase. Letters on pins: P primary, S secondary. Ofsted and admissions are on each school card below.

School phase

  • Primary (P)
  • Secondary (S)
  • District centre
  • Numbered circles group nearby schools — click to zoom in
  • Neighbouring-district schools are labelled in the list and popups

How far from the WF12 centre?

Distances are from the centre of WF12, not your door. Pick a radius to control which schools appear in the list below. Only schools whose postcode is in WF12 are included. Add your full home postcode above for distances from your address (and to search neighbouring districts).

Show schools within:

3 miles is selected by default. Add your home postcode at the top to measure from your address instead of the district centre. Try 1 mile or 1.5 miles for a shorter list, 3 miles for a wider search, or All in district for every WF12 school regardless of distance. Straight-line distance only — not walking, driving, or an official catchment area.

Common questions in this area

  • Usually oversubscribed near here?

    In WF12, 7 of 11 schools with admissions data are marked as usually oversubscribed on their cards. That is a historic demand signal — not a guarantee you will or will not get a place. Always check the local authority admissions rules and the school’s published PAN.

  • How far is the school run?

    Add your home postcode at the top of the page to see distances from your door. Until then, distances use WF12 centre. All figures are straight-line miles — not walking or driving time, and not catchment areas.

  • What changed recently?

    School and area figures come from open government releases (mostly 2024/25 where published). 17 schools here have a last inspection date on their cards; 1 show a plain-English note when Ofsted published area judgements without an overall grade.

    When we last refreshed data

Browse local schools

Showing schools within 3 miles of WF12 centre

Compare schools in your area in three steps:

  1. Choose a school type — primary, secondary, or all schools in your list.
  2. Sort that list — put the schools you want to compare at the top.
  3. Add to school shortlist — tick up to 6 schools you are considering (saved on this device).

Each card shows key statistics for that school. If you are unsure what a figure means, see the data guide at the bottom of the page.

Filter by school type:

Primary schools10

Sort list by

Choose how to order the cards — for example nearest first, latest inspection, attendance, ks2 results, or admissions pressure.

  • Pentland Infant and Nursery School

    Pentland Road, Savile Town, Dewsbury WF12 9JR

    Type
    Community school
    Age range
    2–7
    Ofsted
    Good
    View on Ofsted

    0.2 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    144
    Free school meals
    12.3%
    SEN
    20.1%
    EAL
    99.3%
    Attendance
    95.9%
    Persistent absence
    5.8%
    Admissions
    Usually oversubscribed
    Attainment
    No KS2 at this school
    Visit school website

  • Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School

    Warren Street, Savile Town, Dewsbury WF12 9LY

    Type
    Voluntary controlled school
    Age range
    2–7
    Ofsted
    Good

    Monitoring visit confirmed the previous Good overall grade — see the full report for latest area judgements.

    View on Ofsted

    0.3 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    98
    Free school meals
    20%
    SEN
    21.3%
    EAL
    42.6%
    Attendance
    93.1%
    Persistent absence
    19.7%
    Admissions
    Often has places
    Attainment
    No KS2 at this school
    Visit school website

  • Headfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School

    Vicarage Road, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury WF12 9PD

    Type
    Voluntary controlled school
    Age range
    7–11
    Ofsted
    Good

    Monitoring visit confirmed the previous Good overall grade — see the full report for latest area judgements.

    View on Ofsted

    0.4 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    544
    Free school meals
    29.4%
    SEN
    22.2%
    EAL
    52.7%
    Attendance
    95.5%
    Persistent absence
    10%
    Admissions
    Usually oversubscribed
    Attainment
    65% met expected standard (KS2)
    Visit school website

  • Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School

    Slaithwaite Road, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury WF12 9DL

    Type
    Voluntary controlled school
    Age range
    2–7
    Ofsted
    Good

    Monitoring visit confirmed the previous Good overall grade — see the full report for latest area judgements.

    View on Ofsted

    0.5 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    284
    Free school meals
    20.3%
    SEN
    21.6%
    EAL
    62.2%
    Attendance
    96%
    Persistent absence
    4.1%
    Admissions
    About average
    Attainment
    No KS2 at this school
    Visit school website

  • Earlsheaton Infant School

    Commercial Street, Earlsheaton, Dewsbury WF12 8JF

    Type
    Academy converter
    Age range
    4–7
    Trust
    LEARNING ACCORD MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
    Ofsted
    Good
    View on Ofsted

    0.7 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    110
    Free school meals
    20.9%
    SEN
    24.7%
    EAL
    7.2%
    Attendance
    94.6%
    Persistent absence
    11.3%
    Admissions
    Usually oversubscribed
    Attainment
    No KS2 at this school
    Visit school website

  • Orchard Primary Academy

    Princess Road, Chickenley, Dewsbury WF12 8QT

    Type
    Academy sponsor led
    Age range
    2–11
    Trust
    The Chickenley Community Co-operative Learning Trust
    Ofsted
    Good
    View on Ofsted

    1.1 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    363
    Free school meals
    69.8%
    SEN
    29.9%
    EAL
    6.6%
    Attendance
    96%
    Persistent absence
    7%
    Admissions
    Usually oversubscribed
    Attainment
    43% met expected standard (KS2)
    Visit school website

  • Overthorpe CofE Academy

    Edge Top Road, Thornhill, Dewsbury WF12 0BH

    Type
    Academy sponsor led
    Age range
    3–11
    Trust
    ENHANCE ACADEMY TRUST
    Ofsted
    Good
    View on Ofsted

    1.3 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    188
    Free school meals
    47.9%
    SEN
    26.3%
    SEN provision
    Special classes
    EAL
    9.8%
    Attendance
    96.3%
    Persistent absence
    9.3%
    Admissions
    Often has places
    Attainment
    53% met expected standard (KS2)
    Visit school website

  • Thornhill Junior and Infant School

    Edge Lane, Thornhill, Dewsbury WF12 0QT

    Type
    Academy converter
    Age range
    4–11
    Trust
    FOCUS ACADEMY TRUST (UK) LTD
    Ofsted
    Area judgements

    New inspection format: no single overall grade.

    Latest visit (Jan 2025): no overall grade — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management and early years good; personal development outstanding. See the full Ofsted report.

    View on Ofsted

    1.3 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    353
    Free school meals
    44.5%
    SEN
    15.5%
    SEN provision
    Resourced provision · SLCN
    EAL
    4.1%
    Attendance
    95.6%
    Persistent absence
    12.9%
    Admissions
    About average
    Attainment
    55% met expected standard (KS2)
    Visit school website

  • Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School

    Bendigo Road, Dewsbury WF12 7LX

    Type
    Voluntary controlled school
    Age range
    7–11
    Ofsted
    Good

    Monitoring visit confirmed the previous Good overall grade — see the full report for latest area judgements.

    View on Ofsted

    1.3 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    384
    Free school meals
    28.9%
    SEN
    19%
    EAL
    8.2%
    Attendance
    96.8%
    Persistent absence
    6.9%
    Admissions
    Usually oversubscribed
    Attainment
    73% met expected standard (KS2)
    Visit school website

  • Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School

    Leeds Road, Shaw Cross, Dewsbury WF12 7HP

    Type
    Community school
    Age range
    3–7
    Ofsted
    Requires improvement

    Latest visit (Jun 2026): renewed Ofsted format (no single overall grade) — attendance and behaviour and leadership and governance needs attention; inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, personal development and wellbeing and early years expected standard. See the full Ofsted report.

    View on Ofsted

    1.8 milesstraight-line from WF12 centre

    Pupils
    223
    Free school meals
    19.7%
    SEN
    20%
    EAL
    1.9%
    Attendance
    96.2%
    Persistent absence
    6.7%
    Attainment
    No KS2 at this school
    Visit school website

Common questions about schools in WF12

How many schools are in the WF12 postcode district?
We list 13 state-funded schools whose address postcode starts with WF12: 10 primary, 2 secondary, and 1 other phases. We also list 8 independent (fees usually apply) and 2 independent special (usually local-authority funded via an EHCP), clearly labelled on each card. That independent total includes schools from neighbouring postcode districts within about 3 miles of the WF12 centre.
What areas does WF12 cover?
Postcode district WF12 spans Chickenley, Earlsheaton, Paradise, Savile Town, Shaw Cross, Thornhill, and Thornhill Lees. Exact boundaries follow Royal Mail outward codes — use the map and school addresses for a specific street.
What are Ofsted ratings like for schools in WF12?
Among state-funded schools on this page: 6 Good, 1 Requires improvement, and 6 on the new inspection format (area judgements only). Grades are the latest published overall effectiveness or monitoring outcome — always check the full report on Ofsted’s site.
What is school attendance like in WF12?
Across state-funded schools here with published absence data, mean attendance is about 95.3% (2024–25). Individual schools vary — see each card.
Are WF12 schools hard to get into?
Of state-funded schools with an admissions label here: 7 usually oversubscribed, 2 often have places, 2 about average. This is a guide only — check your council’s admissions booklet.

Guide to school and area statistics

What the numbers on this page for WF12 mean. Area rows may still show (i) for data source and geography.

School listings

What you see on each school card

Only fields that appear on at least one school on this page are listed.

School type
How the school is run. For example academy, council-maintained, voluntary aided or free school.
Trust
The multi-academy trust or sponsor running the school, where it is an academy.
Age range
Year groups on roll. For example 4–11 for primary, or 11–18 with sixth form.
Ofsted
Latest published Ofsted overall grade and date where we have them, plus a link to the Ofsted reports site. Fee-paying association independent schools are usually inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) instead: we link to ISI reports and do not invent an Ofsted-style grade. Non-association independents inspected by Ofsted show the same Ofsted grades and report link when published in Ofsted’s open management information.
Straight-line miles
Distance as the crow flies from your home postcode when you have entered one, otherwise from the middle of this district. Not walking or driving time.
Walking, cycling and park-and-stride hints
Rough bands from straight-line miles: about 1 mile or less may suit walking; about 1–2.5 miles we show cycling and park-and-stride; over about 2.5 miles park-and-stride only. Not checked routes or journey times.
Pupils
Number of pupils on roll from published school census data.
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals. Often used as one indicator of economic disadvantage in the catchment. Useful context, not a comment on pupils or families.
SEN
Share of pupils with SEN support or an EHC plan. A higher figure can reflect inclusive admissions and experience, or more demand on staff. Check what is on site and talk to the SENCO.
SEN provision
Extra on-site support such as a resourced provision or SEN unit.
English as an additional language (EAL)
Pupils whose first language is not English. Many schools support this well; if English at home matters to you, ask how beginners are taught in class. Not a measure of overall quality.
Attendance
Share of possible sessions attended. Higher is better.
Persistent absence
Share of pupils missing 10% or more of sessions. Lower is better.
Admissions pressure
Indicative label from recent applications versus places — oversubscribed, about average or often has spaces.
Attainment
Primary: share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (Key Stage 2). Secondary: Progress 8. A dash means nothing was published for that school.
Attainment vs local
Compares each school’s headline to others of the same phase on this page. Above, below or about average for the district.
Area overview

What you see in the area overview

Matches the snapshot and tables below: your postcode, this district, then the wider council area.

Area snapshot
Estimated crime (national rates scaled by deprivation near schools in this postcode district), deprivation near those schools, and Ofsted outcomes for schools here. Shown separately, not as one overall area mark.
More local context
House prices, flood risk, broadband and transport for this postcode district where we have them, alongside the snapshot.
Schools in district
How many schools are in this postcode district, split by primary and secondary.
Average attendance
Mean attendance across schools here with published absence data.
Average free school meals
Mean free school meals eligibility across schools here with published data.
Average SEN
Mean SEN percentage across schools here with published data.
Average EAL
Mean English as an additional language percentage where published.
Deprivation
How deprived neighbourhoods around schools here are compared with England (official deprivation index, shown as bands 1–10 where 1 is most deprived and 10 is least deprived).
Average house price
Typical sold prices for this postcode district where we have them. Street-by-street prices vary.
Flood risk
Indicative summary. Check Environment Agency maps for a specific address.
Broadband
General picture of speeds and availability. Check with providers at your address.
Green space
Brief summary of access to parks or countryside nearby.
Council tax
Typical band for the area. Your exact band depends on the property.
Your home neighbourhood
When you enter your full home postcode, we compare deprivation for your small area with the typical area around schools in this district.
Population, households, ethnicity and age
Census figures for the local council area, not your street or this postcode district alone.
Crime figures
Often a rough estimate: national rates scaled by deprivation near schools in this postcode district (using council population). Not police records for your street. Rates can differ between districts in the same council.
Using this page

Using this page

Tools on this page for narrowing schools and understanding distances.

Distance filter
Controls which schools appear in the list — 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 miles, or every school in this district. Not an admissions catchment.
About these figures
School and Ofsted data from official releases. The area overview splits postcode-district figures from wider council context, with dates at the bottom of that panel.