At the top of the list is Carleton Park, a primary academy in Pontefract. It has a roll size of about 207, and in a recent Ofsted inspection, was found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories. In the 2023/24 school year, 93% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.placeholder image
At the top of the list is Carleton Park, a primary academy in Pontefract. It has a roll size of about 207, and in a recent Ofsted inspection, was found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories. In the 2023/24 school year, 93% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

The 18 top state primary schools across Wakefield - based on pupils mastering essential school skills

Amber Allott
By Amber Allott

Education & science writer

Published 17th Sep 2025, 12:00 GMT

These local schools excel in more ways than one 🌟

Primary schools have the vital task of helping their young pupils develop skills like literacy and numeracy, as well as an appetite for learning which will serve them throughout the rest of their time in education.

Learners across Wakefield, and much of Yorkshire as a whole, returned to class for the start of the new 2025/26 school year earlier this month. At the same time, parents of small children have started looking ahead to next year, with applications for primary school Reception class places open now.

These parents will no doubt want to make sure the schools they put down as options will be the right fit for their little one. With this in mind, we’ve looked into some of the highest-performing state primaries across the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council area - using our own metric.

The key figure it is based on is the proportion of each school’s pupils who completed Year 6 in the most recent academic year (currently 2023/24), and met the Government’s expected standards in three key areas: reading, writing and maths. We’ve only included the very highest achieving local schools, which had at least 80% of their pupils meet this target.

But performance isn’t the only measure of a school’s strengths, so we’ve also made sure each one included had a positive mark in its latest Ofsted inspection. These are set to change in the very near future, but in the meantime, we’ve limited our league table to schools with either a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ overall grade under the previous system, or positive ratings across all categories under the current one. This means that quality of education, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management, and safeguarding practices all met or exceeded Government standards.

Here were the 18 Wakefield schools that made the cut - and came out on top:

This is a primary academy in the village of Kirkhamgate, just out of Wakefield. It has a roll size of about 228, and in a recent Ofsted inspection, was found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories. In the 2023/24 school year, 83% of its pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

13. Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate

This is a primary academy in the village of Kirkhamgate, just out of Wakefield. It has a roll size of about 228, and in a recent Ofsted inspection, was found to be ‘outstanding’ in all categories. In the 2023/24 school year, 83% of its pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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As its name might suggest, this is a primary academy in the Middlestown area. It has a roll size of about 199, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

14. Middlestown Primary Academy

As its name might suggest, this is a primary academy in the Middlestown area. It has a roll size of about 199, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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Rooks Nest is a primary academy in the Outwood area, towards Wakefield’s north end. It has a roll size of about 367, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

15. Rooks Nest Academy

Rooks Nest is a primary academy in the Outwood area, towards Wakefield’s north end. It has a roll size of about 367, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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St Giles is an Anglican primary academy in Pontefract. It has a roll size of about 353, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils again met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

16. St Giles C of E Academy

St Giles is an Anglican primary academy in Pontefract. It has a roll size of about 353, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils again met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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St Michael's is another Anglican primary academy, this one in Wakefield’s Flanshaw area. It has a roll size of about 490, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

17. St Michael's CofE Academy

St Michael's is another Anglican primary academy, this one in Wakefield’s Flanshaw area. It has a roll size of about 490, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils also met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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Rounding out the list is Stanley Grove, a recent academy convert in Stanley, just northeast of the city. It has a roll size of about 233, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils once again met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally.

18. Stanley Grove Primary and Nursery Academy

Rounding out the list is Stanley Grove, a recent academy convert in Stanley, just northeast of the city. It has a roll size of about 233, and was most recently rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 school year, 80% of its pupils once again met the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing, and maths – compared to averages of 62% locally and 61% nationally. | Google

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