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Elland town centrePhoto: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0
A−School Grade
Schools in Elland · DfE, Ofsted

Elland’s state schools get better results than 76% of towns in England

Across their best eight GCSEs, pupils in Elland score 51.5 on Attainment 8, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (46.9) and towns in England (45.9). 7 state-funded schools are located in Elland’s built-up area. Elland grades A− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #25 of 91 in West Yorkshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.

State schools
7
6 primary, 1 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
64%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
51.5
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
55%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%

Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about Elland’s schools

West Vale beats its intake

Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At West Vale Academy, 45% of pupils are on free school meals and 69% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 56%. Results and intake ↓

Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.

School Grade

Elland grades A− for schools

Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.

Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (64% meet the standard)Better than 61% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (51.5 and 55%)Better than 81% of towns in England

The secondary figure lifts Elland; the primary figure holds it back.

Each of Elland’s 6 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%England 62%Calderdale 60%Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School: 26% · D−St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy: 35% · D−Cross Lane Primary and Nursery School: 62% · B−Old Earth Primary School: 66% · BWest Vale Academy: 69% · B+The Greetland Academy: 85% · A+
England’s average schoolCalderdale’s average school

The primary figure: 6 primaries in the town, 669 pupils in results over three years. Elland has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 7 graded secondaries in and within 3 km of the town (1,531 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.

Map

Where Elland’s 7 state schools are

Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Elland’s built-up area.

PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter

Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.

Results and intake

Which schools do better than their intake suggests

Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.

Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%Pupils on free school meals →typical school in EnglandCross Lane Primary and Nursery School: 62% with 37% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 58%)Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School: 26% with 64% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 51%)Old Earth Primary School: 66% with 15% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 65%)St Patrick's Catholic Primary Academy: 35% with 19% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 63%)The Greetland Academy: 85% with 11% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 66%)West Vale Academy: 69% with 45% on free school meals (a typical school with that intake: 56%)St Patrick'sEllandThe GreetlandWest Vale

The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 11% at The Greetland Academy to 64% at Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery School. Against schools with the same intake, The Greetland Academy does best: 85% with 11% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 66%. 4 of 6 primaries are above the line.

Show as a table
SchoolFree school mealsResultTypical for that intakeDifference
The Greetland AcademyKS2 %11%85%66%+19
West Vale AcademyKS2 %45%69%56%+13
Cross Lane Primary and Nursery SchoolKS2 %37%62%58%+4
Old Earth Primary SchoolKS2 %15%66%65%+1
Elland Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior, Infant and Nursery SchoolKS2 %64%26%51%−25
St Patrick's Catholic Primary AcademyKS2 %19%35%63%−28

Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.

Getting a place

How school places work in Elland

Calderdale Council handles applications for every state school in Elland, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.

Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.

When a school is full

Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 2 of Elland’s 7 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.

Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work

How full each school is

Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.

Cross Lane incl. nursery98%
Old Earth incl. nursery98%
The Greetland92%
St Patrick's incl. nursery91%
The Brooksbank85%
Elland incl. nursery58%
West Vale41%

DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.

The schools

7 state schools in Elland

Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.

Letters of Elland’s schoolsA 2B 3C 0D 2

Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.

Ofsted

Ofsted report cards

Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.

Good 2Report card 2Ungraded inspection only 3

Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.

Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 2 of Elland’s 7 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.

SchoolSafeguardingAchievementCurriculum and teachingInclusionAttendance and behaviourPersonal development and well-beingLeadership and governanceEarly years
The Greetland AcademyJune 2026MetStrong standardStrong standardStrong standardStrong standardStrong standardStrong standardStrong standard
West Vale AcademyNovember 2025MetExpected standardExpected standardExpected standardExpected standardExpected standardExpected standardExpected standard
Who runs them

4 academy trusts and the council

Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.

Run bySchoolsPupilsTheir letters
Great Heights Academy TrustThe Greetland, West Vale2459A+B+
Together Learning TrustThe Brooksbank11,446A−
Polaris Multi Academy TrustOld Earth1461B
Blessed Peter Snow Catholic Academy TrustSt Patrick's1106D−
Calderdale CouncilCross Lane, Elland2447B−D−
After 16

Where Elland’s teenagers go at 16

In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.

The state secondary in Elland has its own sixth form. The nearest college is Huddersfield New College, a further-education college 2.2 miles away.

Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 1
state schools in Elland
Colleges within 12 miles
4
nearest: Huddersfield New College
Grammar schools in Calderdale
2
selective state secondaries
CollegeDistance
Huddersfield New CollegeFurther-education college · HD3 4GL2.2 mi
Calderdale CollegeFurther-education college · HX1 3UZ2.7 mi
Greenhead CollegeFurther-education college · HD1 4ES3.3 mi
Kirklees CollegeFurther-education college · HD1 3LD3.8 mi
Towns its size

76th of 322 English towns of 11,000 to 21,000

Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Elland, and the top and bottom of the group.

#TownSchoolsKS2Attainment 8Grade 5+ E&M
1Amersham BuckinghamshireA+79%64.383%
…
72Skipton North YorkshireA−62%56.864%
73Heckmondwike West YorkshireA−71%46.847%
74Euxton LancashireA−68%48.947%
75Hockley and Hawkwell EssexA−79%4642%
76Elland West YorkshireA−64%51.555%
77Morpeth NorthumberlandA−63%51.157%
78Penwortham LancashireA−63%52.357%
79Thame OxfordshireB+66%47.151%
80New Rossington and Rossington South YorkshireB+68%45.748%
…
322Sandown Isle of WightD−52%3216%
Neighbours

Elland and the places around it

Coloured by School Grade.

Holywell Green and Stainland: A−Outlane: A−Brighouse: BHuddersfield: CHalifax: BSowerby Bridge: B−Shelf and Northowram: CHolywell Green and StainlandOutlaneBrighouseHuddersfieldHalifaxSowerby BridgeShelf and NorthowramElland
TownSchoolsKS2Att. 8
Elland
7 schools
A−64%51.5
Holywell Green and Stainland
2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.6 mi
A−67%49.9
Outlane
0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.5 mi
A−65%52.1
Brighouse
16 schools · 2.6 mi
B65%45.3
Huddersfield
47 schools · 3.2 mi
C57%44.3
Halifax
34 schools · 3.2 mi
B59%52.9
Sowerby Bridge
4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.7 mi
B−56%50.7
Shelf and Northowram
4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.3 mi
C58%42.8

Outlane has the best-graded schools nearby (A−). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
  • Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Elland: 9% (England’s average school: 8%).
  • Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
  • Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
  • Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
  • Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
  • Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
  • Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.

Questions about schools in Elland

Are schools in Elland good?

Elland’s state schools earn an A− against schools across England: primary results beat 61% of towns in England; secondary results beat 81% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Calderdale council.

What is the best primary school in Elland?

On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, The Greetland Academy: 85% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.

Do Elland secondary schools have sixth forms?

Yes, it has one.

How do I apply for a school place in Elland?

Through Calderdale Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).

How many state schools are in Elland?

7 open state-funded schools are located in Elland’s built-up area: 6 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.

Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.