Towngate Primary Academy

Towngate Primary Academy has demonstrated significant improvements since its last inspection and is on track for a graded inspection in the near future. The school is characterized by a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and valued, promoting their well-being and engagement in learning. Strong community ties and high expectations for academic achievement are evident, and the school has effectively utilized support from its multi-academy trust to enhance teaching and curriculum delivery, particularly in early English and mathematics.

Strengths

• Pupils are nurtured and valued as individuals.
• Exceptional support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• High-quality phonics teaching leads to strong reading skills.
• Strong emphasis on building relationships between pupils and staff.
• Wide range of clubs and activities enriches the curriculum.
• Leaders share a genuine ambition for continuous improvement.

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 Towngate Primary Academy attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.3% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Towngate 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 Towngate Primary Academy had 25.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 36.0% 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, 7.1% of pupils at Towngate Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Towngate Primary Academy received £5,793 and spent £5,905 for each of its 303 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £228,000 (£753 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,468 and spending £6,416 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 Ossett · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Towngate Primary Academy is part of Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Gawthorpe Community Academy Ossett
• Ackton Pastures Primary Academy Castleford
• South Hiendley Primary School Barnsley
• Featherstone Girnhill Infant School Pontefract
• Fitzwilliam Primary School Pontefract
• Half Acres Primary Academy Castleford
• Grove Lea Primary School Pontefract
• Ash Grove Primary Academy Pontefract

What is Towngate Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Towngate Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Towngate Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Towngate Primary Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Towngate Primary Academy have?

Towngate Primary Academy has 311 pupils on roll.

What age range does Towngate Primary Academy cover?

Towngate Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Towngate Primary Academy?

Towngate Primary Academy is at Whitley Spring Road, Ossett, West Yorkshire, WF5 0QA.