The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Valley Drive, Ben Rhydding, Ilkley, LS29 8NL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE BISHOP WHEELER CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Amanda Rhodes
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (rc)
- Sponsor
- The Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Keighley and Ilkley
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 118
- URN
- 139353
- Local authority
- Bradford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01943609578
About this school
The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Ilkley. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 118 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 27 | 18 | 19 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 78% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 19% | 11% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% | 89% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 83% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 83% | 89% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.30 | - | - |
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 The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary 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 | Bradford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63% | 56.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 78% | 58.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 59.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 130 |
| 2023/24 | 122 |
| 2024/25 | 124 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School compares
The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School ranked 90th of 159 primary schools in Bradford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 93% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 3.6% | 7.3% | 118 | — |
| Ashlands Primary School | 66% | 3.9% | 9.8% | 266 | 0.2 miles |
| Ben Rhydding Primary School | 69% | 2.2% | 8.1% | 190 | 0.4 miles |
| All Saints' CofE Primary School | 82% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 330 | 0.9 miles |
| Burley Oaks Primary School | 80% | 2.7% | 7.1% | 393 | 2.8 miles |
| Askwith Primary School | 94% | 3.1% | 10% | 105 | 2.8 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)
- 7.26%
- English as an additional language
- 7.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.58%
- Persistent absence
- 6.25%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ashlands Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Ilkley
-
Ben Rhydding Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Ilkley
-
All Saints' CofE Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Ilkley
-
Burley Oaks Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Ilkley
-
Askwith Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Otley
Other schools in Ilkley
The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School ranks 7th of the 8 ranked primary schools in Ilkley.
- Addingham Primary School Primary
- All Saints' CofE Primary School Primary
- Ashlands Primary School Primary
- Ben Rhydding Primary School Primary
- Burley and Woodhead CofE Primary School Primary
- Burley Oaks Primary School Primary
- Menston Primary School Primary
- Ilkley Grammar School Secondary
- St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy Secondary
- Ghyll Royd School and Pre-School Independent schools
- Moorfield School & Nursery Independent schools
- Westville House School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School teach?
- The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Ilkley.
- Who is the headteacher of The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is Mrs Amanda Rhodes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary 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 many pupils are at The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
- The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School has 118 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School full?
- The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 118 on roll (56%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Leeds (rc).
- Does The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School part of an academy trust?
- The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is part of THE BISHOP WHEELER CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School compare with other schools in Bradford?
- The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School ranked 90th of 159 primary schools in Bradford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 93% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary 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 1 July 2026.