Low Ash Primary School

Low Ash Primary School demonstrates effective action in maintaining the standards established at the previous inspection. The school is committed to creating a caring and inclusive environment where pupils feel happy and safe, which is reflected in their good attendance and positive attitudes towards learning. While the school has strengths in reading and mathematics, there are challenges in meeting the diverse needs of all pupils, especially those at the early stages of writing and some students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This inspection marks the first routine evaluation since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing valuable insights into how the school has adapted during this challenging period.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and safe, reflecting a caring school environment.
• Strong relationships among pupils embody inclusivity and respect.
• The school has effective reading programs that support pupils' literacy.
• Pupils achieve well in mathematics with clear understanding of key concepts.
• The curriculum is well-structured, building sequentially on prior knowledge.
• Teachers provide a wide variety of texts to foster a love of reading.
• Pupils are enthusiastic participants in school clubs and community events.
• Good attendance rates among pupils highlight their engagement.
• Commitment from staff to support pupil well-being and manage workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Learning needs of pupils at the early stage of writing are not consistently met.
• Inconsistency in teaching foundational skills for letter and number formation.
• Some activities for pupils with SEND do not align well with their learning needs.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Low Ash Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.1% of pupils at Low Ash Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Low Ash Primary School had 21.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.4% of pupils at Low Ash Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Low Ash Primary School received £6,673 and spent £6,427 for each of its 473 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £210,000 (£443 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Shipley · Bradford local authority: places and applications

What is Low Ash Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Low Ash Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Low Ash Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Low Ash Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Low Ash Primary School have?

Low Ash Primary School has 478 pupils on roll.

What age range does Low Ash Primary School cover?

Low Ash Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Low Ash Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Low Ash Primary School?

Low Ash Primary School is at Wrose Road, Wrose, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD18 1AA.