Middlestown Primary Academy

Middlestown Primary Academy is performing strongly overall. Pupils achieve very well, especially in mathematics, and outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are above national averages. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with barriers to learning progress well. Attendance is high, persistent absence is very low, and pupils behave calmly and respectfully. Safeguarding standards are met. The curriculum is broad, ambitious and well sequenced, with consistent teaching and strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leadership and governance are effective, staff morale is high, and the trust provides useful support and challenge. Personal development is a notable strength, with a strong focus on wellbeing, enriching experiences and preparing pupils for life beyond school. The main area for improvement is the early years. Although children get off to a positive start, especially in reading and phonics, adult interactions and vocabulary modelling are not consistently high quality. This limits some opportunities for children to practise and learn new vocabulary, including during play. The school is also preparing to open nursery provision for two-year-olds from January 2026.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve highly in reading, writing and mathematics, with particularly strong mathematics outcomes above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils facing barriers to learning progress well from their starting points.
• Early reading and phonics are prioritised, helping a high proportion of pupils start key stage 2 as confident readers.
• Attendance is high and persistent absence is very low because leaders monitor closely and work well with families.
• Pupils behave calmly and respectfully, bullying is rare, and classrooms are orderly places for learning.
• The curriculum is exciting, innovative and well sequenced, with consistent teaching and regular checks on learning.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and receive sharply targeted, well-adapted support.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with a clear focus on vulnerable pupils and strong attention to staff wellbeing.
• Personal development is strong, including mental health support, rich cultural experiences and meaningful careers learning.
• Pupils are confident, eloquent and well prepared for their next steps by the time they leave the school.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which concerns are identified and managed.

Areas for Improvement

• In the early years, adult interactions and vocabulary modelling are not consistently high quality, so opportunities for children to practise and learn new vocabulary are not always maximised.

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 Middlestown Primary Academy attended 96.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Middlestown 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 Middlestown Primary Academy had 27.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.9% 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, 17.1% of pupils at Middlestown Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Middlestown Primary Academy received £5,785 and spent £6,202 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £238,000 (£1,183 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Place Partnership - A Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,667 and spending £7,527 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 · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Middlestown Primary Academy is part of Place Partnership - A Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Ossett Academy and Sixth Form College Ossett
• South Ossett Infant Academy Ossett
• Horbury Primary Academy Wakefield
• Horbury Academy Wakefield
• Wath Academy Rotherham
• Ravenfield Primary Academy Rotherham
• Sir Thomas Wharton Academy Doncaster
• Maltby Redwood Academy Rotherham
• Maltby Lilly Hall Academy Rotherham
• Maltby Manor Academy Rotherham

What is Middlestown Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Middlestown Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Middlestown Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Middlestown Primary Academy was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Middlestown Primary Academy have?

Middlestown Primary Academy has 217 pupils on roll.

What age range does Middlestown Primary Academy cover?

Middlestown Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Middlestown Primary Academy?

Middlestown Primary Academy is at Cross Road, Middlestown, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 4QE.