Carlton Mills, Bradford
Carlton Mills is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bradford, part of Carlton Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 100th-highest of the 110 schools in Bradford with published results, and 13,336th of 14,452 across England. It was 69% 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 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bradford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Carlton Mills in detail
Carlton Mills in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Carlton Mills - a vibrant, nurturing and ambitious primary school in Manningham, Bradford and a proud member of the Carlton Academy Trust. We are delighted to be an Ofsted-rated Good school, with an Outstanding Early Years Foundation Stage."
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 3 November 2026 and an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Bradford
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils at Carlton Mills reached the expected standard in reading and 55% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Bradford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 71% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Carlton Mills
For September 2026 entry, 16 families put Carlton Mills as their first choice and 50 named it as one of their preferences, for 16 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Carlton Mills are St Cuthbert and the First Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy (under 0.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); Margaret McMillan Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 69% reading, 72% maths); Lilycroft Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 79% reading, 74% maths); and St Philip's CofE Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 93% reading, 83% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Carlton Mills.
St Cuthbert and the First Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyMargaret McMillan Primary SchoolLilycroft Primary SchoolSt Philip's CofE Primary School
The trust
Carlton Mills is one of 8 schools run by Carlton Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
39.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 77.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (68%) and Black (7%).
In 2026, 32 pupils (11.1%) received SEN support and 6 (2.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Frizinghall Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Scotchman Road Westfield Rd, 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Carlton Mills stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Carlton Mills issued 27 suspensions, 8.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Carlton Mills are St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy (0.4 miles); Bradford Girls' Grammar School (0.6 miles); Oasis Academy Lister Park (0.9 miles); and Valley Academy (1 mile).
St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic College, A Voluntary AcademyBradford Girls' Grammar SchoolOasis Academy Lister ParkValley Academy
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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 July 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
39.4%
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 71% to 59% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 73% to 55% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 71% to 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.5
Avg class size
24.7
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
11
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Carlton Mills
Hundreds of families enjoy Carlton Mills Summer Fayre
27 Jul 2026
Carlton Mills proudly hosts its first ever community Iftar
17 Mar 2026
Year 6 Take on Caving Adventure in the Yorkshire Dales
22 Jan 2026
Carlton Mills achieves myHappymind Bronze Accreditation!
From Carlton Mills's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Carlton Mills
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Carlton Mills.
- Kanga Kare Carlton MillsAt the school · Not yet graded
- Bright Future Nursery And After School Club Ltd960m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Carlton Mills from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Carlton Mills is in Bradford; for families living there:
- Bradford's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy for children of compulsory school age
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 68
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 13
- Children hurt
- 17
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 68 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 13 serious and 55 slight.
17 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 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 Carlton Mills
Will you get a place at Carlton Mills? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Carlton Mills's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Carlton Mills:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Carlton Mills.
- Bradford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Carlton Mills that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Carlton Mills for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bradford 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
69%
Available places
288 pupils
420 places
132 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bradford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bradford
Across Bradford council
Places available
7,475
Applications
6,301
Got 1st preference
92.3%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Bradford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
13.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
287
Total Pupils
139
Boys
148
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
16.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,901
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,950
Per pupil
£1895k
Total funding
£141k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.1%
Overall absence
33.4%
Persistent absence
305
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
Questions parents ask about Carlton Mills
What are SATs results like at Carlton Mills?
Of the pupils at Carlton Mills who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 59% reached the expected standard in reading and 55% did so in maths.
What is Carlton Mills's Ofsted rating?
Carlton Mills was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2023.
What is the catchment area for Carlton Mills?
No fixed boundary. When Carlton Mills is oversubscribed, Bradford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Carlton Mills?
Carlton Mills was not full in 2025: it ran at 69% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Carlton Mills?
Classes at Carlton Mills average 25.5 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 Carlton Mills?
Carlton Mills has around 287 pupils on roll. 39% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Carlton Mills?
8.1% of sessions were missed at Carlton Mills in 2024/25. 33.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Carlton Mills?
Apply through Bradford's coordinated admissions process, naming Carlton Mills 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.
Does Carlton Mills have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Kanga Kare Carlton Mills (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Carlton Mills?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 68 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 13 serious and 55 slight. 17 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Carlton Mills?
Carlton Mills is at Scotchman Road, Manningham, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD9 5AT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)