School Chooser

Carleton Park Junior and Infant School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy208 pupilsPontefractWakefield
School Chooser Score
98
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 96 to 100
Out of 100. Better than 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Reached the expected level at 1187%England 63%
Attendance96.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families21%A bit fewer than most schools
Places10 spare208 pupils, 218 places
Pupils per teacher24.2School workforce census

Carleton Park Junior and Infant School is a sponsored academy in Pontefract for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 208 pupils and room for 218. About 21 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 99 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Moxon Close, Carleton Park, Pontefract, WF8 3PT01977 722615arkcarletonpark.org.ukMrs Michelle Winter headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 15 October 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1187%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level23%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 46%46%20172018: 57%57%20182019: 91%91%20192023: 97%97%20232024: 93%93%20242025: 87%87%2025
Since 2017: +41%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WakefieldEngland
Pupils tested303031323028
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths87%93%97%91%57%46%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths23%33%32%19%0%0%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0110.0112.0107.0104.0103.0104.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0109.0110.0109.0103.0100.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0110.0108.0107.0104.0104.0104.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard93%97%100%91%63%71%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard97%97%100%100%67%61%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)90%93%97%94%77%61%
Reading progressReading progress score+6.7+1.4-4.4+0.0
Maths progressMaths progress score+5.9+3.9-4.3-2.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged71%90%100%25%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged91%95%96%55%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
71%91%
Gap 20 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
88%86%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%23%
Gap 23 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full206 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
98% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have fallen by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Wakefield council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll208Census January 2026
Places21895% full
Pupils from low-income families21%21% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support3%7 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.77 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)20%£63,550 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls102 / 106
White British pupils90%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (9), emotional and mental health (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll208203207205212208
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals21%22%22%21%24%21%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%6%5%4%3%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support7%10%9%11%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%3%3%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.2%3.1%4.2%3.8%1.6%3.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence1.9%2.1%2.9%2.6%1.2%2.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%0.9%1.3%1.3%0.4%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.1%5.7%7.7%9.0%3.2%3.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.02.02.41.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers8.6full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher24.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,495
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,000England £7,128. Total £1.2m
Income per pupil£6,645England £7,587. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,611England £3,405
Money in reserve10%A healthy amount put by: £129k, £636 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£131kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,000spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m16412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate63 per 1,000 people31% lower than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Wakefield
Nearest bus stop100 mLyon Rd Sides Road, 30 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Larks Hill Primary SchoolAcademy670 m203No overall grade 2025100Compare
The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant SchoolAcademy900 m330Good 202395Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School PontefractAcademy0.7 miles222Good 202464Compare
De Lacy Primary SchoolAcademy0.9 miles342Outstanding 202495Compare
Halfpenny Lane Junior Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.9 miles434No overall grade 2025100Compare
St Giles C of E AcademyAcademy0.9 miles337Not inspected73Compare
Cherry Tree AcademyAcademy1.2 miles233Requires improvement 20244Compare
Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy1.2 miles199Good 20227Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Carleton Park Junior and Infant School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats100%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 99 is 37 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 62 · highest 97100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 99 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 99% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 96 to 100. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%well above
+0.26
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.43
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%well above
+0.34
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.15
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.11
2024/25; 178 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.27
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Carleton Park Junior and Infant School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Carleton Park Junior and Infant School scores 99 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 96 to 100, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Carleton Park Junior and Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Carleton Park Junior and Infant School not judged at its last full inspection on 15 October 2024.

How good are Carleton Park Junior and Infant School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 87% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 23% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Carleton Park Junior and Infant School have?

208 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 218 places, so it is 95% full.

Is Carleton Park Junior and Infant School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Carleton Park Junior and Infant School?

Pupils were in school 96.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Carleton Park Junior and Infant School?

The average class had 29.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Moxon Close, Carleton Park, Pontefract, WF8 3PT
Telephone
01977 722615
Website
arkcarletonpark.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Michelle Winter
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
ARK Schools (48 schools)
Local authority
Wakefield
Ward
Pontefract South
Constituency
Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2013 (new provision)
URN
140337 · LAESTAB 3842011 · UKPRN 10044065
Formerly
Pontefract Carleton Park Junior and Infant School

Where these figures come from