Ash Grove Primary Academy

Ash Grove Primary Academy has demonstrated a good overall performance with a positive school environment where pupils feel safe and valued. The school has effectively established clear behavior expectations, and pupils exhibit polite and respectful behavior. The quality of education is strong, especially in reading and early years provision, with a well-organized curriculum that supports the needs of learners. However, this inspection marked the school's first routine evaluation since the transition to an academy and the COVID-19 pandemic, providing context for its performance assessment.

Strengths

• Pupils take pride in their school and exhibit good behavior.
• Effective identification and support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Strong emphasis on reading and phonics from early years.
• Well-organized early years curriculum promoting communication and confidence.
• High levels of staff engagement in promoting pupil well-being.
• Supportive leadership from the governing body and trust.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clear guidance on the specific knowledge pupils need to learn.
• Communication with parents and staff needs improvement.
• Attendance issues affecting a minority of pupils.

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 Ash Grove Primary Academy attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.0% 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, 4.6% of pupils at Ash Grove 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 Ash Grove Primary Academy had 24.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 47.8% 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, 15.1% of pupils at Ash Grove Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.7% 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 Ash Grove Primary Academy received £6,967 and spent £6,766 for each of its 276 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £113,000 (£409 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 Pontefract · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

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

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

What is Ash Grove Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ash Grove Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Ash Grove Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ash Grove Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Ash Grove Primary Academy have?

Ash Grove Primary Academy has 265 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ash Grove Primary Academy cover?

Ash Grove Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ash Grove Primary Academy?

Ash Grove Primary Academy is at Ash Grove, South Elmsall, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF9 2TF.