Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
Bendigo Road, Dewsbury, WF12 7LX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Ms Zaheda Adam
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Constituency
- Dewsbury and Batley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 388
- Pupils on roll
- 384
- URN
- 107706
- Local authority
- Kirklees
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01924460666
About this school
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Dewsbury. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 384 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 9 May 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 96 | 98 | 97 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 66% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 2% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 93% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 90% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 89% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kirklees average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72% | 56.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 57.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 58.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 388 |
| 2023/24 | 378 |
| 2024/25 | 379 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School compares
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School ranked 17th of 101 primary schools in Kirklees for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 5.3% | 29.8% | 384 | — |
| Hanging Heaton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School | 75% | 4.3% | 14.2% | 133 | 0.5 miles |
| Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.9% | 20.8% | 223 | 0.5 miles |
| Eastborough Academy | 68% | 6.1% | 36% | 214 | 0.7 miles |
| Mill Lane Primary School | 70% | 6.4% | 30.8% | 158 | 0.7 miles |
| Earlsheaton Infant School | — | 5.5% | 25.8% | 80 | 0.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 29.82%
- English as an additional language
- 8.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.3%
- Persistent absence
- 12.08%
Location
Nearby schools
- 0.5 miles
-
Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School0.5 miles
Primary · Dewsbury
-
Eastborough Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Dewsbury
-
Mill Lane Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Batley
-
Earlsheaton Infant School0.7 miles
Primary · Dewsbury
Other schools in Dewsbury
Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School ranks 2nd of the 12 ranked primary schools in Dewsbury.
- Boothroyd Primary Academy Primary
- Carlton Junior and Infant School Primary
- Diamond Wood Community Academy Primary
- Earlsheaton Infant School Primary
- Eastborough Academy Primary
- Headfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School Primary
- Orchard Primary Academy Primary
- Overthorpe CofE Academy Primary
- Pentland Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Ravensthorpe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School Primary
- Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Shaw Cross Infant and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School teach?
- Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Dewsbury.
- Who is the headteacher of Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
- The headteacher of Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is Ms Zaheda Adam, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
- Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School has 384 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School full?
- Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School has capacity for 388 pupils and 384 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School a faith school?
- Yes. Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% in 2022/23 and 73% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School rank locally?
- Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School ranked 17th of 101 primary schools in Kirklees for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's absence rate?
- Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bywell Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.