School Chooser

Fairfield School

Special · ages 3-19MixedFoundation special school139 pupilsSixth formBatleyKirklees
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, June 2022
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance85.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families33%A bit more than most schools
PlacesFull139 pupils, 124 places
Pupils per teacher6.8School workforce census

Fairfield School is a foundation special school in Batley for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 139 pupils, 15 more than it has places for. About 33 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

White Lee Road, Batley, WF17 8AS01924 326103fairfieldschool.ukMrs Clare Blackburn acting headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 8 June 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

8 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

11 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017KirkleesEngland
Pupils tested113711109
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%6%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-6.6-3.2-1.1-2.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-6.9-3.6-1.3-2.6

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Kirklees council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll139Census January 2026
Places124112% full
Pupils from low-income families36%33% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English50%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%139 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)33%£46,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls79 / 60
White British pupils33%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, visual impairment.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Kirklees with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Profound and multiple learning difficulty (50), language and communications needs (31), Severe learning difficulty (26), Moderate learning difficulty (12), Physical disability (7), Autistic spectrum disorder (6).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll139136125119120124
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals36%39%43%49%46%45%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language50%53%58%61%60%62%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 85.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance85.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school46.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence14.8%15.7%18.0%18.3%21.2%14.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence13.3%15.0%17.1%17.6%21.0%14.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%0.7%0.9%0.7%0.2%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence46.9%48.9%56.0%54.2%85.7%45.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 11 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%100%
Education100%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers20.4full-time equivalent, 23 people
Pupils per teacher6.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants55.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,443
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher7.02024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£37,211England £32,258. Total £5.0m
Income per pupil£36,384England £32,367. Total £4.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,656England £11,930
Money in reserve0%Very little put by: £22k, £160 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£112kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£37,211spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m15512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate89 per 1,000 peopleabout the England average
Typical house price£210,000Kirklees
Nearest bus stop50 mFairfield School, 16 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Co-op Academy Smithies MoorAcademy190 m148Requires improvement 202415Compare
Carlinghow AcademyAcademy930 m304Good 202230Compare
Healey Junior Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.6 miles402Good 202223Compare
Becker SchoolIndependent0.7 miles19Not inspectedCompare
Birstall Primary AcademyAcademy0.8 miles187Good 202351Compare
Heckmondwike Primary AcademyAcademy0.8 miles411Inadequate 202317Compare
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary AcademyAcademy0.9 miles211Good 202246Compare
Brian Jackson CollegeIndependent0.9 miles74Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Fairfield School a good school?

Fairfield School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2022.

What is Fairfield School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Fairfield School good at its last full inspection on 8 June 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are Fairfield School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Fairfield School have?

139 pupils aged 3 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 124 places, so it is 112% full.

What is attendance like at Fairfield School?

Pupils were in school 85.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 47% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Fairfield School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, profound and multiple learning difficulties, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Fairfield School have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
White Lee Road, Batley, WF17 8AS
Telephone
01924 326103
Website
www.fairfieldschool.uk
Acting Headteacher
Mrs Clare Blackburn
Type of school
Foundation special school (Foundation special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Kirklees
Ward
Heckmondwike
Constituency
Spen Valley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
107802 · LAESTAB 3827011 · UKPRN 10014993

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from