Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane

Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane has been rated as a good school overall, marking its first inspection since it became part of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust in 2018. The school demonstrates a commitment to high expectations for all pupils, with a well-structured curriculum that allows for effective learning. Positive behaviors and attitudes are fostered through a supportive environment, where teachers address the needs of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) pupils effectively. However, there are opportunities for improvement in how information is presented in certain subjects, which may hinder clarity in learning outcomes.

Strengths

• High expectations set by school leaders and staff.
• Calm and consistent atmosphere conducive to learning.
• Ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils.
• Strong focus on reading from early years.
• Wide-ranging personal development opportunities for pupils.
• Effective safeguarding practices and systems in place.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in clarity of information presentation in some subjects.
• Need for refinement in the personal development curriculum to ensure knowledge retention.

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 Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.2% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane 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 Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.3% 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, 6.9% of pupils at Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane received £5,997 and spent £6,798 for each of its 306 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £432,000 (£1,412 per pupil).

Across all 40 schools of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, income was £8,313 and spending £8,200 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 Pontefract · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane is part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Outwood Academy Hemsworth Pontefract
• Outwood Primary Academy Newstead Green Wakefield
• Outwood Academy Shafton Barnsley
• Outwood Academy Freeston Normanton
• Outwood Academy Carlton Barnsley
• Outwood Academy City Fields Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Park Hill Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange Barnsley
• Outwood Primary Academy Darfield Barnsley

What is Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane last inspected by Ofsted?

Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane have?

Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane has 320 pupils on roll.

What age range does Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane cover?

Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane?

Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane is at Bell Lane, Ackworth, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF7 7JH.