School Chooser

Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil223 pupilsNurseryDewsburyKirklees
School Chooser Score
4
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 2 to 9
Out of 100. Better than 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#15,392 of 16,041 in England#124 in KirkleesHow it is worked out
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, May 2026
Attendance94.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
PlacesFull223 pupils, 180 places
Pupils per teacher22.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll223Census January 2026

Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School is a council school in Dewsbury for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 223 pupils, 43 more than it has places for. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 4 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in May 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Leeds Road, Shaw Cross, Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, Dewsbury, WF12 7HP01924 325319shawcrossinfants.co.ukMrs Amanda Pickup headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 12 May 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Needs attention
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
As expected
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Needs attention
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (2)
DateTypeOutcome
9 April 2024S5 InspectionRequires improvement
6 April 2022UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full173 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
96% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

In 2025 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2025. Every child who applied got a place (56 offers for 60 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary6056– all offeredLA
2024 Primary6060– all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll223Census January 2026
Places180124% full
Pupils from low-income families17%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%37 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.47 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)22%£57,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls115 / 108
White British pupils64%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (36), emotional and mental health (4), Other difficulty or disability (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1), Vision impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll223215219240236236
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%17%16%16%16%20%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%2%1%3%3%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–17%19%14%9%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–3%1%2%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school18.3%
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 absence5.9%6.0%7.6%6.4%3.1%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.5%4.6%6.0%5.5%2.4%2.6%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.3%1.6%0.9%0.7%1.2%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence18.3%17.5%26.3%12.1%4.2%6.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

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

Teachers9.2full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher22.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,315
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.02024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,694England £7,738. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£7,189England £7,697. Total £1.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,260England £3,480
Money in reserve-14%In the red: -£201k, -£992 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£103kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,694spent 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 m35712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate97 per 1,000 people7% higher than the England average
Typical house price£210,000Kirklees
Nearest bus stop110 mLeeds Road, 36 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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Hanging Heaton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant SchoolChurch of England360 m133Good 202282Compare
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior SchoolChurch of England850 m384Good 202467Compare
Lydgate Junior and Infant SchoolCouncil0.6 miles297No overall grade 202472Compare
Mill Lane Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles158Good 202454Compare
Gawthorpe Community AcademyAcademy0.9 miles231Good 202250Compare
Orchard Primary AcademyAcademy1.1 miles363Good 20228Compare
Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy1.1 miles238Good 202377Compare
Warwick Road Primary SchoolCouncil1.1 miles362Good 202491Compare
Primary schools in KirkleesPrimary schools in DewsburyBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School with the 46 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats2%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 4 is 51 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 55 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Hill Top CofE Primary SchoolFoundation7.6 miles215Good 202314Compare
Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil9.4 miles225Good 202365Compare
Grove Lea Primary SchoolAcademy12.3 miles244No overall grade 202592Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 4 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 4% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 2 to 9. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.68
Ofsted report card, 0.3 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.25
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.11
2024/25; 120 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
What parents say0%no data
–

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School a good school?

The figures are weak. Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School scores 4 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 2 to 9, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 12 May 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as needs attention, leadership as needs attention.

How many pupils does Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School have?

223 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 124% full.

Is Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 94.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 18% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School?

The average class had 29.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Leeds Road, Shaw Cross, Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School, Dewsbury, WF12 7HP
Telephone
01924 325319
Website
www.shawcrossinfants.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Amanda Pickup
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Kirklees
Ward
Dewsbury East
Constituency
Dewsbury and Batley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
107608 · LAESTAB 3822014 · UKPRN 10070898
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from