The Halifax Academy

Calderdale · HX2 0BA

General information All-through School · 4-16 years Who goes here 1461 pupils, 41% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 15.7% on SEN support Behaviour 8.5% absence rate Staff 13% turnover Financials £7,566 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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The Halifax Academy

General Information

Address: Gibbet Street, Halifax, HX2 0BA – View on map
Phone: 01422301080
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Matt Perry
Age range: 4-16 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 157 families put it first for 185 places – 8 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 9 · 2025 11 · 2026 8
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 40 families put it first for 45 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 9 · 2025 9 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1461 pupils out of 1320 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 598
% eligible for free school meals: 41.0%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (similar to the Calderdale average)
English as an additional language: 72% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 13% a year (Calderdale 16%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 32% moved to another school, 68% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Calderdale: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 29 (1.7 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 2
Suspensions for bullying: 44 (2.6 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 6 (0.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Calderdale, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 8.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 27.9%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 15.7%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.7%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Moderate learning difficulty: 121 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 48 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 28 pupils
Physical disability: 9 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 8 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 25 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 17 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 5 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

SecondaryGCSE results, Year 11

Attainment 8 score: 44.1
Compared with the area: 5.5 points below the Calderdale average (49.6)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (−8.5 points against an expected 52.6)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 55% (Calderdale 71%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolCalderdale averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 5.5 points below the Calderdale average (49.6).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

8th of 11 all-through schools in Calderdale for Attainment 8

#6Trinity Academy Grammar46.3
#7Trinity Academy Halifax44.5
#8The Halifax Academy44.1
#9Park Lane Academy40.9
#10Brighouse High School40.0

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1The Crossley Heath School74.5
#2The North Halifax Grammar School68.5
#3The Brooksbank School50.7
#4Rastrick High School49.9
#5Ryburn Valley High School48.7
#6Trinity Academy Grammar46.3
#7Trinity Academy Halifax44.5
#8The Halifax Academy44.1
#9Park Lane Academy40.9
#10Brighouse High School40.0
#11Lightcliffe Academy38.5

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 92.0%
Went into further education: 91.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Science Double Award
Art & Design
History
Photography
Geography
Community Development
Chemistry (General)
Biology
Physics (General)
Religious Studies
German
Spanish
Arabic
Urdu
Computer Science

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

PrimaryYear 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 58% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 4 percentage points below the Calderdale average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (3-year average 59% against an expected 69%)
3-year average (expected standard): 59%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 75% · Writing 70% · Maths 65% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 55%
Average test scores: reading 104, maths 102
Based on: 60 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolCalderdale averageEngland↗ Improving Up 6 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 4 percentage points below the Calderdale average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 54th of 76 junior and primary schools in the area

=51Withinfields Primary School59%
=54St Malachy's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy58%
=54The Halifax Academy58%
=56St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Academy56%
=56Todmorden CofE J, I & N School56%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy95%
#2Wainstalls School91%
#3St John's Primary School In Rishworth89%
#4The Greetland Academy86%
#5Abbey Park Academy85%
=6Bailiffe Bridge Junior and Infant School83%
=6St Mary's CofE (VC) J and I School83%
#8West Vale Academy82%
#9Trinity Academy St Chad's81%
=10Luddendenfoot Academy80%
=10Norland CE School80%
=12Bowling Green Academy79%
=12St John's (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton79%
#14Bradshaw Primary School78%
=15All Saints' CofE Primary School77%
=15Dean Field Community Primary School77%
#17Barkisland CofE VA Primary School76%
#18Scout Road Academy75%
#19Woodhouse Primary School74%
=20Shade Primary School72%
=20Walsden St Peter's CE (VC) Primary School72%
=22Riverside Junior School71%
=22Trinity Academy St Peter's71%
=24Colden Junior and Infant School70%
=24Northowram Primary School70%
=24Warley Road Primary Academy70%
#27Salterhebble Junior and Infant School69%
=28Christ Church Sowerby Bridge CofE (VA) Primary School68%
=28Holywell Green Primary School68%
=28St Andrew's CofE (VA) Junior School68%
=31Bolton Brow Primary Academy67%
=31Copley Primary School67%
=31Luddenden CofE School67%
=31Trinity Academy Whitehill67%
=35St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy, Brighouse65%
=35Warley Town School65%
=37Cross Lane Primary and Nursery School64%
=37Lightcliffe C of E Primary School64%
=37Ripponden Junior and Infant School64%
=40Carr Green Primary School63%
=40Mount Pellon Primary Academy63%
=40Old Earth Primary School63%
=43Beech Hill School62%
=43St Mary's Catholic Primary Academy62%
=45Holy Trinity Primary School, A Church of England Academy61%
=45Lee Mount Academy61%
=45Parkinson Lane Community Primary School61%
=45Triangle CofE VC Primary School61%
=49Sacred Heart Catholic Voluntary Academy60%
=49St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary & Pre School60%
=51Ling Bob Junior, Infant and Nursery School59%
=51Longroyde Primary School59%
=51Withinfields Primary School59%
=54St Malachy's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy58%
=54The Halifax Academy58%
=56St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Academy56%
=56Todmorden CofE J, I & N School56%
=58Moorside Community Primary School55%
=58Trinity Academy Akroydon55%
#60Christ Church Pellon CofE VC Primary School52%
=61Cliffe Hill Community Primary School50%
=61Hebden Royd CofE Primary School50%
#63Shelf Junior and Infant School48%
#64New Road Primary School47%
#65Ferney Lee Primary School46%
=66Ash Green Community Primary School42%
=66Castle Hill Primary School42%
=66Salterlee Primary School42%
=66Savile Park Primary School42%
#70St Augustine's CofE School36%
#71St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy33%
#72Siddal Primary School32%
#73Burnley Road Academy27%
#74Field Lane Primary School18%
=75Cornholme Junior, Infant and Nursery School12%
=75Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School12%

View full Ofsted inspection report

6th of 9 all-through schools in Calderdale for Ofsted rating

#4The Calder Learning TrustGood
#5The Crossley Heath SchoolGood
#6The Halifax AcademyGood
#7The North Halifax Grammar SchoolGood
#8Todmorden High School, A SHARE AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Trinity Academy HalifaxOutstanding
#2Rastrick High SchoolGood
#3Ryburn Valley High SchoolGood
#4The Calder Learning TrustGood
#5The Crossley Heath SchoolGood
#6The Halifax AcademyGood
#7The North Halifax Grammar SchoolGood
#8Todmorden High School, A SHARE AcademyGood
#9Trinity Academy GrammarGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,566 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

8th of 13 all-through schools in Calderdale for spending per pupil

#6The Brooksbank School£7,825
#7The North Halifax Grammar School£7,733
#8The Halifax Academy£7,566
#9The Crossley Heath School£7,457
#10Ryburn Valley High School£6,989

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Park Lane Academy£9,828
#2Trinity Academy Grammar£8,652
#3Lightcliffe Academy£8,637
#4Trinity Academy Halifax£8,201
#5Brighouse High School£7,847
#6The Brooksbank School£7,825
#7The North Halifax Grammar School£7,733
#8The Halifax Academy£7,566
#9The Crossley Heath School£7,457
#10Ryburn Valley High School£6,989
#11Rastrick High School£6,107
#12The Calder Learning Trust£5,657
#13Todmorden High School, A SHARE Academy£3,478

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Calderdale: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Year 6 SATs ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered