Overthorpe CofE Academy

Overthorpe Church of England Academy has maintained a good standard of education since its previous inspection, characterized by a safe and nurturing environment where pupils feel welcomed. The school exhibits strong relationships among pupils and staff, with an emphasis on personal development and a wide array of extracurricular activities that enhance pupils' learning experiences. Recent leadership changes have instilled high ambitions for all students, especially for those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is well-planned and sequenced, particularly in early reading, but there are areas, such as science, where changes are nascent and require further development.

Strengths

• Strong leadership with high ambitions for all pupils
• Nurturing and supportive relationships between pupils and staff
• Effective early reading programs that promote a love of reading
• A wide range of leadership opportunities for pupils
• Good planning and sequencing in curriculum development

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent assessment systems for checking knowledge retention in foundation subjects

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 Overthorpe CofE Academy attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.3% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Overthorpe CofE 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 Overthorpe CofE Academy had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 22.3% of pupils at Overthorpe CofE Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% 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 2024–25 Overthorpe CofE Academy received £8,175 and spent £7,776 for each of its 216 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £282,000 (£1,307 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of Enhance Academy Trust, income was £7,136 and spending £7,057 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 Dewsbury · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

Overthorpe CofE Academy is part of Enhance Academy Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Diamond Wood Community Academy Dewsbury
• Horbury Bridge Church of England Junior and Infant Academy Wakefield
• Batley Parish CofE Primary Academy Batley
• Lepton CofE Primary Academy Huddersfield
• Highburton CofE First Academy Huddersfield
• St Michael's CofE Academy Wakefield
• Christ Church CE Academy Huddersfield
• CAPA College Wakefield
• Sandal Magna Community Academy Wakefield
• Royston St John Baptist CE Primary Barnsley

What is Overthorpe CofE Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Overthorpe CofE Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Overthorpe CofE Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Overthorpe CofE Academy was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Overthorpe CofE Academy have?

Overthorpe CofE Academy has 188 pupils on roll.

What age range does Overthorpe CofE Academy cover?

Overthorpe CofE Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Overthorpe CofE Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Overthorpe CofE Academy?

Overthorpe CofE Academy is at Edge Top Road, Thornhill, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 0BH.