Ash Grove Primary Academy, PONTEFRACT
Ash Grove Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Pontefract, part of Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 25th-highest of the 33 schools in PONTEFRACT with published results, and 13,056th of 14,452 across England. It was 79% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ash Grove Primary Academy in detail
Ash Grove Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Ash Grove Primary Academy are part of Inspire Partnership Multi-Academy Trust. Most of our pupils live in South Elmsall but we also welcome children from the surrounding areas."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils at Ash Grove Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 61% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 67% in reading and 58% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Ash Grove Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Ash Grove Primary Academy as their first choice and 53 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Ash Grove Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ash Grove Primary Academy are South Elmsall Carlton Junior and Infant School (0.5 miles, Good, 71% reading, 53% maths); Moorthorpe Primary School With Inclusion Resource (0.6 miles, Good, 60% reading, 58% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Moorthorpe (0.7 miles, Good, 59% reading, 83% maths); and Ark Northfield Primary School (1.4 miles, 88% reading, 83% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Ash Grove Primary Academy.
South Elmsall Carlton Junior and Infant SchoolMoorthorpe Primary School With Inclusion ResourceSt Joseph's Catholic Primary School, MoorthorpeArk Northfield Primary School
The trust
Ash Grove Primary Academy is one of 9 schools run by Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is South Elmsall Rail Station, about 380 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Minsthorpe Leisure Centre (opposite), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ash Grove Primary Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 3rd decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Ash Grove Primary Academy issued 52 suspensions, 18.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
28.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 67% to 57% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 61% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 77% to 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.1
Avg class size
20.0
Infant (KS1)
31.2
KS2
10
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Ash Grove Primary Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ash Grove Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ash Grove Primary Academy is in Wakefield; for families living there:
- Wakefield's school travel policy: Home To School Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Ash Grove Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Ash Grove Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ash Grove Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ash Grove Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ash Grove Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Ash Grove Primary Academy for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wakefield got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
79%
Available places
258 pupils
326 places
68 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - PONTEFRACT
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for PONTEFRACT
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,391
Applications
3,654
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
20.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
265
Total Pupils
136
Boys
129
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
22.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,429
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,639
Per pupil
£1629k
Total funding
£130k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.2%
Overall absence
22.0%
Persistent absence
236
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Ash Grove Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Ash Grove Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Ash Grove Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Ash Grove Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 57% reached the expected standard in reading and 61% did so in maths.
What is Ash Grove Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ash Grove Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2018 it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for Ash Grove Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Ash Grove Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Wakefield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Ash Grove Primary Academy?
Ash Grove Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 79% of its 326 places.
How big are the classes at Ash Grove Primary Academy?
Classes at Ash Grove Primary Academy average 26.1 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Ash Grove Primary Academy?
Ash Grove Primary Academy has around 265 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ash Grove Primary Academy?
7.2% of sessions were missed at Ash Grove Primary Academy in 2024/25. 22% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ash Grove Primary Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Ash Grove Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Ash Grove Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ash Grove Primary Academy?
Ash Grove Primary Academy is at Ash Grove, South Elmsall, PONTEFRACT, West Yorkshire, WF9 2TF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)