Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate

Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate is a highly effective primary school where pupils feel safe, valued and supported, and behaviour is exemplary. Inspectors found a rich, well-sequenced curriculum from early years through Year 6, strong phonics and reading provision, and high-quality early years education. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access the full curriculum and achieve well. Parents are overwhelmingly positive, particularly about the support children with SEND receive. Leadership is strong at all levels, including governance and the Outwood Grange Academy Trust, with effective oversight, regular training and attention to staff workload and wellbeing. Personal development is a notable strength: pupils take on leadership roles, participate in community projects and benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its previous inspection in 2014; the report notes that the principal was appointed in April 2024. No areas for improvement were identified, and all key judgements were outstanding.

Strengths

• Safe, calm and aspirational learning environment
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and consistently high attendance
• Rich, well-delivered and progressively sequenced curriculum
• Strong phonics and reading teaching with effective early intervention
• High-quality early years provision with excellent staff interactions
• Inclusive SEND support that enables full curriculum access
• Outstanding personal development through leadership roles and the Outwood Diploma
• Wide extra-curricular offer that develops pupils’ talents and interests
• Strong leadership, governance and trust oversight
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Positive parent and carer views, especially regarding SEND support
• Staff wellbeing and workload support prioritised

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 Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate 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 Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% 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, 8.3% of pupils at Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.9% 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 Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate received £6,041 and spent £6,024 for each of its 226 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £319,000 (£1,412 per pupil).

Across all 40 schools of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, income was £8,313 and spending £8,200 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 Wakefield · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate is part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Outwood Grange Academy Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Park Hill Wakefield
• Outwood Academy City Fields Wakefield
• Outwood Academy Freeston Normanton
• Outwood Primary Academy Newstead Green Wakefield
• Outwood Academy Carlton Barnsley
• Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane Pontefract

What is Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate last inspected by Ofsted?

Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate have?

Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate has 229 pupils on roll.

What age range does Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate cover?

Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate?

Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate is at Brandy Carr Road, Kirkhamgate, Wakefield, WF2 0RS.