Orchard Primary Academy

Orchard Primary Academy has shown significant improvement since its previous inspection, achieving a 'Good' rating overall. The school provides a supportive and positive environment where pupils feel safe, happy, and engaged in their learning. The leadership team has a clear vision, emphasizing respect, resilience, and aspiration, which is embraced by both staff and students. However, there are still areas for growth, particularly in ensuring consistent and effective phonics teaching, and developing a deeper understanding of religions and cultures among pupils. The school benefits from a strong early years provision, helping children to build solid foundations for their education. The leadership is committed to inclusivity, ensuring that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the necessary support to thrive alongside their peers. Despite notable successes, attention must be given to the development of subject leadership and the ongoing implementation of curriculum changes to ensure that all pupils achieve their full potential.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy and feel safe.
• Strong relationships built on mutual respect.
• Engaging lessons with a focus on meaningful experiences.
• Commitment to supporting pupils with special educational needs.
• Effective early years provision that prepares children for Year 1.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent pace in some phonics sessions.
• Variable subject leadership in some areas.
• Lack of detailed knowledge in some pupils regarding different religions.

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 Orchard Primary Academy attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.7% 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, 2.9% of pupils at Orchard 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 Orchard Primary Academy had 28.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.0% 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, 25.1% of pupils at Orchard Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.3% 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 Orchard Primary Academy received £8,893 and spent £8,370 for each of its 362 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £411,000 (£1,137 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of South Pennine Academies, income was £8,124 and spending £8,234 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

Orchard Primary Academy is part of South Pennine Academies, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Kirkheaton Primary School Huddersfield
• Brambles Primary Academy Huddersfield
• Hillside Primary School Huddersfield
• Beaumont Primary Academy Huddersfield
• Moor End Academy Huddersfield
• Park Lane Academy Halifax
• Woodlands Primary Academy Oldham
• Willowpark Primary Academy Oldham
• Greenacres Primary Academy Oldham

What is Orchard Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Orchard Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2022.

When was Orchard Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Orchard Primary Academy was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does Orchard Primary Academy have?

Orchard Primary Academy has 363 pupils on roll.

What age range does Orchard Primary Academy cover?

Orchard Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

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

Where is Orchard Primary Academy?

Orchard Primary Academy is at Princess Road, Chickenley, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 8QT.