Martin Frobisher Infant School

Martin Frobisher Infant School is a small, caring and inclusive infant school where pupils feel safe, happy and part of a positive community. Inspectors found the school performing as it should across all areas, with effective safeguarding. Pupils achieve well overall, including disadvantaged pupils, and reading and phonics are particular strengths. Early years children get a strong start, behaviour is calm and orderly, and pupils with SEND are well supported. The school's personal development and wellbeing offer is thoughtful, with pupils learning about safety, respect and difference, and families are closely involved in school life. Leaders are committed and have an accurate view of the school, and staff feel valued. Governors are supportive and fulfil their duties. There are still areas to improve. Some newer teaching approaches in some subjects are not yet precise enough, and early years interactions do not consistently deepen children's learning. Leaders need to evaluate the impact of their actions more sharply, governors need to offer more robust challenge, and attendance work should continue, especially for persistently absent and some disadvantaged pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well overall.
• Reading and phonics are particularly successful, with pupils developing reading skills quickly.
• Early years provision gives children a strong, nurturing start and prepares them well for Year 1.
• Behaviour is calm and orderly because routines and expectations are applied consistently.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and included in lessons and school life.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised, including mental health and online safety.
• Leaders build positive relationships with families and the wider community.
• Governors are supportive and fulfil their statutory duties.
• Staff feel valued and supported with professional development and wellbeing.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages and improving for disadvantaged pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Some recently introduced teaching approaches in some subjects are not precise enough, limiting what pupils know and remember.
• Early years staff do not consistently use interactions to build on children's knowledge across all areas of learning.
• Leaders need to evaluate the impact of improvement actions more precisely.
• Governors need to provide consistently robust challenge to sustain and strengthen improvement.
• Persistent absence and attendance for some disadvantaged pupils remain areas to tackle.
• Recent curriculum and teaching changes need to be embedded consistently across the school.

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 Martin Frobisher Infant School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Martin Frobisher Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 Martin Frobisher Infant School had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.3% 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, 4.4% of pupils at Martin Frobisher Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 Martin Frobisher Infant School received £7,633 and spent £8,032 for each of its 151 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £112,000 (-£744 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 Normanton · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

What is Martin Frobisher Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Martin Frobisher Infant School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Martin Frobisher Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Martin Frobisher Infant School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Martin Frobisher Infant School have?

Martin Frobisher Infant School has 158 pupils on roll.

What age range does Martin Frobisher Infant School cover?

Martin Frobisher Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Martin Frobisher Infant School?

Martin Frobisher Infant School is at Church Road, Altofts, Normanton, West Yorkshire, WF6 2NU.