Oyster Park Primary Academy

Oyster Park Primary Academy has shown notable progress since joining the Castleford Academy Trust, with improvements in leadership and teaching quality. The school provides a safe and nurturing environment for its pupils, emphasizing personal development, high standards of pastoral care, and inclusion for all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, despite these strengths, the school has faced challenges in student achievement, particularly in reading, writing, and mathematics, where performance has remained below national averages for the past three years. Attendance rates also need further improvement, particularly among disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. The school excels in creating a culture of safeguarding and providing enriching extracurricular opportunities. Leaders have successfully revised the curriculum and focused their efforts on supporting disadvantaged pupils, ensuring they have access to the same opportunities as their peers. However, inconsistencies in teaching quality and a need for improved attendance strategies highlight ongoing areas for development. As the school progresses under new leadership, ongoing efforts to raise standards and enhance teaching practices will be essential in achieving better educational outcomes for all students.

Strengths

• Strong focus on safeguarding ensuring pupils feel safe and cared for.
• Effective pastoral care that supports pupils' wellbeing and personal development.
• High-quality extracurricular opportunities that enrich pupils' learning experiences.
• Proactive leadership driving purposeful improvement and inclusivity.
• Tailored support for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' attainment in core subjects has been below national averages for the past three years.
• Inconsistent teaching quality across different classes.
• Low attendance rates, particularly among disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

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 Oyster Park Primary Academy attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 28.5% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Oyster Park Primary 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 Oyster Park Primary Academy had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% 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, 31.5% of pupils at Oyster Park Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% 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 2023–24 Oyster Park Primary Academy received £6,930 and spent £7,440 for each of its 351 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £738,000 (£2,104 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Castleford Academy Trust, income was £7,360 and spending £7,521 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 Castleford · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Oyster Park Primary Academy is part of Castleford Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Airedale Academy Castleford
• Airedale Junior Academy Castleford
• Airedale Infant Academy Castleford
• Glasshoughton Infant Academy Castleford
• Castleford Academy Castleford
• Castleford Park Junior Academy Castleford
• Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy Castleford
• Crofton Academy Wakefield

What is Oyster Park Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Oyster Park Primary Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Oyster Park Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Oyster Park Primary Academy was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Oyster Park Primary Academy have?

Oyster Park Primary Academy has 349 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oyster Park Primary Academy cover?

Oyster Park Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Oyster Park Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Oyster Park Primary Academy?

Oyster Park Primary Academy is at Watling Road, Ferry Fryston, Oyster Park Primary Academy, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 3SN.