Halifax schools: How schools are doing since the pandemic in Halifax, Brighouse, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Elland

Results are still feeling the impacts of the lockdowns on education and at primary age – results had dropped by six to eight percentage points nationally – but not as severely locally.

This has had the effect of closing gaps between local and national attainment levels which existed to that point, Calderdale Council’s Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Board heard.

In most cases, falling levels elsewhere lifted Calderdale above national despite little actual change from 2019 to 2022, officers say.

Secondary age assessment in 2023 is not comparable to previous years for several reasons, also affected by the pandemic.

For example, in order not to disadvantage pupils, GCSE and A-Levels were assessed differently during that period and grade boundaries were changed.

Ofsted rated 83 per cent – 68 of 82 – of Calderdale primary schools as good or better at the end of the 2022-23 academic year – lower than the national average of 90 per cent.

At secondary level, Ofsted rated 77 per cent – 10 of 13 – as good or better lower than the 80 per cent national average.

A hundred per cent of special schools in Calderdale were judged as good or better compared to 89 per cent nationally and Calderdale’s one Pupil Referral Unit was also judged as “good”, compared to an 83 per cent average nationally.

Overall, all this means that at the end of 2022-23, 83 per cent of schools were rated as good or better, compared to the national average of 88 per cent, the board heard.

Calderdale results at early years foundation stage are broadly in line with the national average and Key Stage 1 results are rising but still slightly below national averages.

Phonics results still trend higher than the national average and Key Stage 2 attainment is slightly above national levels in reading, writing and maths, continuing an improving trend.

At Key Stage 4, the pandemic methodology changes come into play but at Attainment 8 measures, Calderdale pupils performed slightly above national levels and in terms of the Progress 8, measure were in line with national attainments.