Teachers at a Huddersfield school take more days off sick than those in nearly any other primary in England.

As many as 35.7 days per teacher were lost in sick days in 2013-14 at Scapegoat Hill Junior and Infant School according to statistics from the Department for Education.

This is the ninth highest number for any primary school in England although the numbers are skewed because of the small staffing levels at the village school.

As many as 83.3% of the school’s teachers had a least one day off sick in 2013-14 and this resulted in 214 days being lost to illness during the year.

The second sickliest primary school in the Kirklees area was Pentland Infant and Nursery School in Dewsbury where an average of 27.4 days were lost per teacher.

At the other end of the scale, High Bank Junior Infant and Nursery School had the lowest rate of teacher sickness absence out of any secondary school in the area with 0 days lost per teacher.

When it comes to secondary schools North Huddersfield Trust School and Batley Business and Enterprise College - both in Kirklees - had the highest sickness rates in the area with 12.5 and 11.8 days lost per teacher respectively.

On a local authority level Kirklees had the fourth highest teacher sickness rates in England with an average of 6.4 days lost per teacher across all school types in 2013-14.

A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “The health and wellbeing of all employees is important to us.

“The local authority works with our schools to support managing sickness absence in addition to offering a range of support through our Occupational Health services, headteacher support, etc.

“We will continue to support teachers who are unwell and ensure the health and wellbeing of teachers in the classroom.”

In the 2013-14 academic year 55 per cent of teachers across England had at least one period of sickness absence. This compares with 57 per cent in 2012-13.

For those teachers taking sickness absence the average number of days lost was 7.9. This is the same as in the previous year.

When teachers take days off ill it is not only disruptive to the teaching of the children but can also cost the school a large amount to bring in agency cover.

Lower Heath CofE Primary School in Shropshire had the highest sickness rate for any primary or secondary school in England in 2013-14. A whopping 63.3 days were lost per teacher at the school during the last academic year.

North Huddersfield Trust School, Fartown.

Ten secondary schools with the highest rates of teacher absences

North Huddersfield Trust School (Kirklees) 639 days lost - 12.5 per teacher

Batley Business and Enterprise College (Kirklees) 556.5 days lost - 11.8 per teacher

The North Halifax Grammar School (Calderdale) 113 days lost - 11.3 per teacher

Manor Croft Academy (Kirklees) 534.5 days lost - 10.3per teacher

Castle Hall Academy Trust (Kirklees) 615 days lost - 9 per teacher

Rastrick High School (Calderdale) 954.5 days lost - 8.9 per teacher

Todmorden High School (Calderdale) 334 days lost - 8.1 per teacher

Sowerby Bridge High School (Calderdale) 582.5 days lost - 7.6 per teacher

Newsome High School and Sports College (Kirklees) 418 days lost - 7.6 per teacher

Honley High School (Kirklees) 732 days lost - 7.6 per teacher

Scapegoat Hill Junior & Infant School - downgraded by Ofsted inspectors
Scapegoat Hill Junior & Infant School

Ten primary schools with the highest rates of teacher absences

Scapegoat Hill Junior and Infant School (Kirklees) 214 days lost - 35.7 per teacher

Pentland Infant and Nursery School (Kirklees) 274 days lost - 27.4 per teacher

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School (Calderdale) 357 days lost - 25.5 per teacher

Fixby Junior and Infant School (Kirklees) 405 days lost - 25.3 per teacher

Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School (Kirklees) 225 days lost - 25 per teacher

Park Road Junior Infant and Nursery School (Kirklees) 239 days lost - 23.9 per teacher

Wainstalls School (Calderdale) 170 days lost - 21.3 per teacher

Chickenley Community Junior Infant and Nursery School (Kirklees) 356 days lost - 20.9 per teacher

Gilthwaites First School (Kirklees) 177 days lost - 19.7 per teacher

St John’s (CofE) Primary Academy, Clifton (Calderdale) 213 days lost - 19.4 per teacher

Crossley Heath

Ten secondary schools with the lowest rates of teacher absences

The Crossley Heath School (Calderdale) 141 days lost - 2.1 per teacher

Thornhill Community Academy Trust (Kirklees) 134.5 days lost - 2.2 per teacher

Spen Valley High School (Kirklees) 169.5 days lost - 2.4 per teacher

Heckmondwike Grammar School (Kirklees) 312.5 days lost - 2.7 per teacher

King James’s School (Kirklees) 158 days lost - 2.8 per teacher

Shelley College (Kirklees) 268.5 days lost - 3.6 per teacher

All Saints Catholic College (Kirklees) 186 days lost - 3.6 per teacher

The Mirfield Free Grammar and Sixth Form (Kirklees) 466.5 days lost - 3.9 per teacher

The Brooksbank School (Calderdale) 461 days lost - 4.3 per teacher

Moor End Academy (Kirklees) 325 days lost - 4.4 per teacher

High Bank
High Bank

Ten secondary schools with the lowest rates of teacher absences

High Bank Junior Infant and Nursery School (Kirklees) 0 days lost

Shelf Junior and Infant School (Calderdale) 7 days lost - 0.4 per teacher

Newsome Junior School (Kirklees) 7 days lost - 0.4 per teacher

Scholes Village Primary School (Kirklees) 6 days lost - 0.5 per teacher

Beech Hill Junior and Infant School (Calderdale) 15 days lost - 0.6 per teacher

Cliffe Hill Community Primary School (Calderdale) 9 days lost - 0.8 per teacher

Lightcliffe CofE VA Primary School (Calderdale) 16 days lost - 0.8 per teacher

Field Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School (Kirklees) 11 days lost - 0.8 per teacher

Cumberworth CE Voluntary Aided First School (Kirklees) 5 days lost - 0.8 per teacher

Carr Green Primary School (Calderdale) 15.5 days lost - 1 per teacher