Appleton Academy, Bradford
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Appleton Academy provides a safe, welcoming environment where pupils behave positively and understand the school's expectations. The school excels in supporting younger pupils' learning and has particularly strong results in mathematics at primary level. Leaders are committed to helping all pupils, including those facing barriers to learning, and have built effective systems for identifying and supporting individual needs.
Key Strengths
- Strong attendance rates that have improved over time, with effective support for all pupils including disadvantaged students
- Positive behaviour across the school with a relational approach that helps pupils understand expectations
- Well-planned careers programme that has helped more pupils progress to sustained destinations after school
- Effective early years provision with warm relationships and strong foundations in reading, writing and mathematics
- Good inclusion systems with specialist provisions offering bespoke support for pupils with special educational needs
Areas for Improvement
- Key stage 4 achievement is significantly below national averages, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs
- Teaching quality is inconsistent in the secondary phase, with teachers not always checking that pupils have learned key knowledge before moving forward
- Some gaps remain in pupils' basic reading, writing and mathematics skills
- Leaders' understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement needs to be more precise
- Implementation of curriculum strategies to improve teaching are still in early stages
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and acted upon, and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Combined Cadet Force, karaoke, drama, darts
Appleton Academy is a school where safeguarding is effective and pupils feel safe. However, achievement in key stage 4 is significantly below national averages, which remains an area needing urgent improvement.
At a Glance
50.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 67% to 81%. Maths has remained stable at around 75%. Writing has remained stable at around 75%.
Class Sizes
24.4
Avg class size
22.8
Infant (KS1)
27.6
KS2
49
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Latest from Appleton Academy
From Appleton Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
88%
Available places
1,207 pupils
1,378 capacity
171 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Bradford
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bradford
Admissions Demand - Bradford
Places available
7,315
Applications
7,685
Got 1st preference
77.4%
Got preferred school
93.7%
Secondary admissions across Bradford (2025/26)
Inspection History(103)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.05489%
Overall absence
26.02201%
Persistent absence
1,272
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Appleton Academy
Worthinghead Primary School
Shirley Manor Primary School
Hill Top CofE Primary School
Woodside Academy
Low Moor CofE Primary School
Scholes Village Primary School
Bailiffe Bridge Junior and Infant School
St Winefride's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
St Paul's CofE Primary School
Woodlands Church of England Primary Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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