Simpson's Lane Academy

Simpson’s Lane Academy is a highly successful primary school where pupils are happy, polite and safe, and where relationships between staff and pupils are strongly positive. This was its first graded section 5 inspection and its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic; leadership has changed since the previous section 8 inspection, and the school is part of the Delta Academies Trust. Inspectors judged the school outstanding in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, with safeguarding arrangements found to be effective. Pupils benefit from a tailored, high-quality curriculum and consistently strong teaching. Reading is a clear strength, with a culture of reading for pleasure and highly effective phonics support. Early years provision is exceptional, children make exceptional progress from often lower starting points, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND achieve exceptionally well. Attendance has improved significantly because absence follow-up is rigorous, and pupils’ wider development is exceptional, including mental health ambassadors and community and life-skills opportunities. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive, staff feel well supported, and trustees and advisory board members understand and challenge the school effectively. The report identifies no areas for improvement and no weaknesses.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, polite, considerate and safe, with exceptionally positive relationships with staff.
• High expectations and strong teaching lead to high outcomes in national tests.
• A tangible love of reading is promoted across the school.
• Early reading support is highly effective, with robust phonics gap identification and quick catch-up.
• Early years staff have an astute understanding of child development, and children make exceptional progress.
• The curriculum is high quality, tailored and taught consistently, with strong pupil recall.
• Disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well.
• Rigorous absence follow-up has significantly improved attendance, including persistent absence.
• Behaviour expectations are very high, and pupils contribute to an excellent learning atmosphere.
• The wider development programme is extensive and has a profound impact on pupils.
• Staff workload and well-being are well supported.
• Trustees and advisory board members fulfil their roles diligently and hold leaders to account.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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 Simpson's Lane Academy attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.3% 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 Simpson's Lane Academy 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 Simpson's Lane Academy had 20.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.2% 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, 18.1% of pupils at Simpson's Lane Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 2024–25 Simpson's Lane Academy received £7,298 and spent £6,781 for each of its 379 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £449,000 (£1,187 per pupil).

Across all 62 schools of Delta Academies Trust, income was £7,459 and spending £7,562 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Knottingley · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Simpson's Lane Academy is part of Delta Academies Trust, which runs 62 schools. The nearest others:

• The Vale Primary Academy Knottingley
• England Lane Academy Knottingley
• De Lacy Academy Knottingley
• Willow Green Academy Knottingley
• Green Lane Primary Academy Leeds
• Garforth Academy Leeds
• East Garforth Primary Academy Leeds
• Highfields Primary Academy Doncaster
• Don Valley Academy Doncaster
• Goldthorpe Primary Academy Rotherham

What is Simpson's Lane Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Simpson's Lane Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Simpson's Lane Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Simpson's Lane Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Simpson's Lane Academy have?

Simpson's Lane Academy has 387 pupils on roll.

What age range does Simpson's Lane Academy cover?

Simpson's Lane Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Simpson's Lane Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Simpson's Lane Academy?

Simpson's Lane Academy is at Sycamore Avenue, Knottingley, WF11 0PJ.