Westerton Primary Academy

Westerton Primary Academy is currently rated as good overall, with a particular strength in behaviour and attitudes, which are deemed outstanding. The school has undergone significant leadership changes and has responded positively to these changes, resulting in improvements in the quality of education provided to pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The well-designed curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced, contributing to high-quality work from pupils who are motivated and take pride in their achievements. Though the school has many strengths, some areas remain for improvement. There are instances where the curriculum lacks detailed breakdowns of essential knowledge, making it challenging for pupils to articulate connections across different subjects. Additionally, concerns regarding the effectiveness of communication with parents have been noted, with some expressing dissatisfaction with the information provided about their children's learning and school activities.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a welcoming and friendly school environment.
• High expectations foster a strong motivation for learning among pupils.
• Exceptional behaviour and strong relationships between adults and pupils.
• Improved standard of education under new leadership.
• Well-designed and ambitious curriculum with effective subject sequencing.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Consistent phonics teaching improves reading fluency and accuracy.
• Effective pastoral support prioritizing mental health and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Some curriculum areas lack detailed identification of essential knowledge.
• Parents feel communication strategies could be improved.

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 Westerton Primary Academy attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.4% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Westerton 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 Westerton Primary Academy had 21.1 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, 10.8% of pupils at Westerton Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Westerton Primary Academy received £6,427 and spent £6,199 for each of its 671 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £676,000 (£1,008 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Leodis Academies Trust, income was £7,556 and spending £7,233 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 · Leeds local authority: places and applications

Westerton Primary Academy is part of Leodis Academies Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Woodkirk Academy Wakefield
• Hill Top Primary Academy Wakefield
• Blackgates Primary Academy Wakefield
• East Ardsley Primary Academy Wakefield

What is Westerton Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Westerton Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Westerton Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Westerton Primary Academy was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Westerton Primary Academy have?

Westerton Primary Academy has 664 pupils on roll.

What age range does Westerton Primary Academy cover?

Westerton Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Westerton Primary Academy?

Westerton Primary Academy is at Hesketh Lane, Tingley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF3 1AR.