The Right Honourable Lord Eustace Percy, MP, who was President of the Board of Education at the time, officially opened Heaton Avenue Council School on 1st March 1929. Lord Percy was received at the Westcliffe Road entrance by Councillor R M Grylls and asked to formally unlock the door.

Heaton Avenue was then deemed to be a unique example of a "building devoted to this class of children's education" (The Advertiser and Times). A notable feature of the school was the way it was set out in the shape of a letter 'E' with the main aspect facing south and all the classrooms being placed in the front position.

Even though many of the original features have (only recently) been replaced one can still find evidence of why the school was described by HMI as "the best of its type in the country".

In 2012 Heaton Avenue moved into a remodelled middle school building and with it, created an exceptional learning environment.  Part of the SHARE Multi-academy trust and Green Light Teaching Alliance, Heaton Avenue is a school which has an innovative curriculum that allows staff the flexibility to create an inspiring, exciting learning journey for all children, enabling them to develop into active citizens of the future.

Heaton Avenue is an above average sized school that serves a mixed catchment area of Cleckheaton.