Blackgates Primary Academy

Blackgates Primary Academy has improved markedly since its previous inspection, when it was judged to require improvement. This graded inspection in April 2025 found good provision across every key judgement — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years — reflecting a school that is now performing well. Pupils are happy and safe in a welcoming, strongly inclusive environment, and their behaviour is calm and sensible; the school's high expectations for behaviour and achievement are being met. Published 2024 outcomes were low in some areas, but inspectors judged these do not fully reflect the quality of education currently provided, noting that an intensified focus on reading, writing and mathematics, together with expert staff training, is helping current pupils progress more effectively. Notable strengths include the school's particular expertise in special educational needs and disabilities, where needs are identified swiftly and support is highly adapted, so pupils with SEND achieve well. Reading is prioritised throughout, phonics is delivered effectively, and pupils who fall behind are identified quickly and given effective support. The early years provision is a place of joy and discovery where children get off to an excellent start, and governance is described as a strength, with trustees and the local governance committee fulfilling their roles with passion and commitment. The broad, ambitious curriculum is enriched by memorable experiences, including an annual seaside visit for every pupil. The main area for improvement concerns early writing. Some pupils do not develop foundational writing skills effectively: incorrect letter formation is not addressed well enough, staff sometimes move pupils on before their understanding is secure and give them tasks that are too difficult, and errors in spelling and punctuation are not consistently tackled, limiting how well some pupils express themselves in writing. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of Leodis Academies Trust, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of which inspectors took into account.

Strengths

• Strongly embedded, inclusive culture in which pupils feel happy and safe
• Expert support and well-considered curriculum adaptations for pupils with SEND, who achieve well
• Calm and sensible behaviour across the school, with high expectations met
• Reading prioritised and strongly promoted, with effective phonics teaching
• Pupils who fall behind in reading are identified quickly and supported effectively
• Broad and ambitious curriculum enriched by frequent memorable experiences
• Clear sequenced learning across all subjects, starting in the early years
• Excellent early years provision where children quickly develop independence
• Purposeful adult interactions that develop language and communication in early years
• Governance is a strength, with committed trustees and local committee members
• Staff value investment in professional development and attention to workload and wellbeing
• Pupils develop leadership skills through school council and sports leader roles
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not develop early writing skills effectively, including incorrect letter formation not being addressed
• Staff sometimes move pupils on before understanding is secure, giving tasks that are too difficult
• Errors in spelling and punctuation are not consistently addressed, limiting written expression
• School should identify gaps in foundational writing knowledge and address them before more complex tasks

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 Blackgates Primary Academy attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.3% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Blackgates 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 Blackgates Primary Academy had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.3% 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, 30.5% of pupils at Blackgates Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.9% 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 Blackgates Primary Academy received £9,190 and spent £8,978 for each of its 223 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £176,000 (£787 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

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

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

What is Blackgates Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blackgates Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Blackgates Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Blackgates Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Blackgates Primary Academy have?

Blackgates Primary Academy has 233 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blackgates Primary Academy cover?

Blackgates Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Blackgates Primary Academy?

Blackgates Primary Academy is at Smithy Lane, Tingley, Wakefield, WF3 1QQ.