Carlton Primary School, Wakefield
Carlton Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Wakefield. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 23rd-highest of the 51 schools in Wakefield with published results, and 6,591st of 14,452 across England. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Leeds (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Carlton Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Carlton Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Leeds and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 73% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Carlton Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put Carlton Primary School as their first choice and 134 named it as one of their preferences, for 40 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Carlton Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Carlton Primary School are Rothwell Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 69% reading, 78% maths); Robin Hood Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 84% reading, 84% maths); Rothwell St Mary's RC Primary School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 73% maths); and Victoria Junior School (1 mile, Good, 73% reading, 59% maths).
Carlton Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Rothwell Primary SchoolRobin Hood Primary SchoolRothwell St Mary's RC Primary SchoolVictoria Junior School
What parents say
79 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Carlton Primary School (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 81% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (79%).
Who goes there
12.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 52 pupils (16.1%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) 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.
Staffing
Carlton Primary School had 19 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Outwood Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Carlton School (opposite), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 77 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Leeds (229).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Carlton Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 1.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Carlton Primary School are Rodillian Academy (0.8 miles), Oulton Academy (1.3 miles) and Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy (1.8 miles).
Rodillian AcademyOulton AcademyCockburn Laurence Calvert Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Carlton Primary School creates an inspiring and welcoming environment where children genuinely enjoy learning. Teachers use creative teaching methods to help pupils understand complex ideas, and the school provides excellent support for all learners, including those with additional needs. Your child will benefit from a broad curriculum, positive behaviour culture, and wonderful opportunities to develop through clubs and trips.
Key Strengths
- Creative, immersive learning experiences that help pupils understand complex ideas - such as mummifying oranges to learn about Ancient Egypt
- Strong teaching with effective assessment where pupils learn from feedback and improve their knowledge
- Excellent support for pupils with special needs and emotional difficulties, enabling them to access the curriculum and achieve well
- Positive behaviour culture with clear expectations - pupils are proud of their achievements
- Vibrant extra-curricular programme that develops resilience and wider experiences
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils are not yet learning at the depth they could, which limits achievement in some areas and external assessments
- Recent curriculum changes to improve higher-level learning are still being embedded across all areas
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and prioritize pupils' interests.
Extracurricular Activities
Performing arts, crafts, cookery, den building, football, residential trips (sleepover at school, city break to York, adventure centre visits)
Carlton Primary School is a welcoming school that has maintained good standards and provided pupils with an effective quality of education. Pupils enjoy lessons, behave calmly, and make good progress through a carefully designed curriculum.
At a Glance
12.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
79 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 73% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 73% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.9
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Carlton Primary School
Term dates
Carlton Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Leeds. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Friday 2 April 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 19 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Carlton Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Carlton Primary School is in Leeds; for families living there:
Apply to Leeds for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 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 Primary School
Will you get a place at Carlton Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Carlton Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Carlton Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Carlton Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Leeds, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Carlton Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leeds 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
95%
Near capacity
286 pupils
300 places
14 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wakefield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wakefield
Across Leeds council
Places available
10,125
Applications
8,039
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Leeds council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
16.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
323
Total Pupils
164
Boys
159
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£43,166
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,119
Per pupil
£1577k
Total funding
£52k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
16.8%
Persistent absence
262
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
Carlton Primary School
Questions parents ask about Carlton Primary School
What are SATs results like at Carlton Primary School?
Of the pupils at Carlton Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Carlton Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Carlton Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Carlton Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Carlton Primary School is oversubscribed, Leeds allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Carlton Primary School?
Carlton Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Carlton Primary School?
Classes at Carlton Primary School average 23.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Carlton Primary School?
Carlton Primary School has around 323 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Carlton Primary School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Carlton Primary School in 2024/25. 16.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Carlton Primary School?
Apply through Leeds's coordinated admissions process, naming Carlton Primary School 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.
What are Carlton Primary School's term dates?
Carlton Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Leeds. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Friday 2 April 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 19 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Carlton Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Leeds is 18.5 (the median across 308 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Carlton Primary School?
Carlton Primary School is at New Road, Carlton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF3 3RE.
Sources: Leeds term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)