Merlin Top Primary Academy

Merlin Top Primary Academy continues to uphold the high standards established in its previous inspection, maintaining an outstanding reputation for overall effectiveness. With a strong emphasis on both academic success and character development, the school provides a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Notably, the tailored support offered to disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs contributes significantly to their success, fostering an ethos of kindness and mutual respect among the entire school community.

Strengths

• Offers a calm, caring environment for pupils.
• Promotes a strong ethos of kindness, belonging, and safety.
• Pupils achieve remarkable success, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Strong emphasis on both academic and character development.
• Effective strategies in place to support pupils with SEND.
• Encourages staff support and well-being.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities available to pupils.

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 Merlin Top Primary Academy attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.1% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Merlin Top Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 Merlin Top Primary Academy had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.7% 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, 23.0% of pupils at Merlin Top Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% 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 Merlin Top Primary Academy received £8,184 and spent £8,420 for each of its 321 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £342,000 (£1,067 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Northern Education Trust, income was £8,462 and spending £8,166 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 Keighley · Bradford local authority: places and applications

Merlin Top Primary Academy is part of Northern Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• Abbey Park Academy Halifax
• Mount Pellon Primary Academy Halifax
• Hazlehurst Primary Academy Bury
• Chesham Primary Academy Bury
• Denton Community Academy Manchester
• Kearsley Academy Bolton
• The Ferns Primary Academy Bolton
• Buile Hill Academy Salford
• Essa Primary Academy Bolton
• Essa Academy Bolton

What is Merlin Top Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Merlin Top Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Merlin Top Primary Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Merlin Top Primary Academy have?

Merlin Top Primary Academy has 343 pupils on roll.

What age range does Merlin Top Primary Academy cover?

Merlin Top Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Merlin Top Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Merlin Top Primary Academy?

Merlin Top Primary Academy is at Braithwaite Avenue, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD22 6HZ.