Newlands Primary School, Normanton
Newlands Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Normanton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 5 schools in Normanton with published results, and 13,829th of 14,452 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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
Newlands Primary School in detail
Newlands Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development and British Values that Build Cultural Capital at Newlands Primary School"
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am proud to be headteacher at Newlands. Proud to work with such fabulous hard-working children, dedicated and creative teachers, caring and committed support staff and honest and supportive parents. Our motto is that we ‘persevere, believe, achieve’ and this forms the basis of The Newlands Way."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils at Newlands Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 54% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 30% in reading and 43% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Newlands Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put Newlands Primary School as their first choice and 59 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 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 Newlands Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Newlands Primary School are Normanton Junior Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 90% reading, 89% maths); Normanton All Saints CofE Infant School (0.5 miles, Outstanding); St. John the Baptist Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 62% maths); and Altofts Junior Academy (0.8 miles).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Newlands Primary School.
Normanton Junior AcademyNormanton All Saints CofE Infant SchoolSt. John the Baptist Catholic Primary SchoolAltofts Junior Academy
What parents say
34 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Newlands Primary School (as of September 2025): 82% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (68%).
Who goes there
45.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 61 pupils (22.6%) received SEN support and 30 (11.1%) 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.
Newlands Primary School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs and autism: 16 places, 14 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Normanton Rail Station, about 940 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Woodhouse Mount (opposite), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Newlands Primary School 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, Newlands Primary School issued 18 suspensions, 6.1 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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from September 2019, 7 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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Newlands Primary is a caring school where pupils feel happy and safe, supported by committed staff. The school has strong phonics teaching and a well-structured maths curriculum where children are developing real confidence. The school also provides excellent support for pupils with special needs, with staff quickly identifying needs and working closely with families.
Key Strengths
- Strong early reading phonics programme with effective teaching and good support from the English hub - pupils develop confidence and fluency in key stage 1
- Thoughtful and precise support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with quick identification of needs and effective use of staff expertise
- Well-structured mathematics curriculum where important knowledge is clearly identified and learning builds over time - pupils enjoy maths and are developing secure knowledge
- Pupils behave well, follow school expectations, and understand the importance of equality and diversity
- Staff are committed to pupil wellbeing and pupils benefit from caring, supportive relationships
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils' writing skills are not developed well - many children do not develop secure early writing skills, leading to poor habits with spelling, punctuation and handwriting
- The curriculum in some subjects lacks clarity about the most important knowledge to teach and the order to teach it, leading to inconsistent implementation
- Early years curriculum is not clearly defined or sequenced - activities and resources are not well matched to children's learning needs, leaving some unprepared for key stage 1
- Attendance remains a challenge for a small group of pupils despite school efforts
- Variability in how curriculum is taught across the school means pupils do not consistently learn as well as they should
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear procedures to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Extra-curricular clubs, trips and activities, breakfast club, outdoor learning
Newlands Primary School is a community primary school in Normanton with 298 pupils, including a specialist resource provision for pupils with communication needs. The school has high ambitions for all pupils but requires improvement in the quality of education and leadership, having dropped from a Good rating following challenges including pandemic impact and staffing instability.
At a Glance
45.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Other, Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
34 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 30% to 49% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 43% to 54% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 46% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
17.0
Avg class size
14.8
Infant (KS1)
22.0
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Newlands Primary School
Newsletters - 17th September 2026
17 Sep 2026
Newsletters - 9th September 2026
9 Sep 2026
Newsletters - 16th July 2026
16 Jul 2026
Newsletters - 5th July 2026
5 Jul 2026
Newsletters - 15th June 2026
15 Jun 2026
Newsletters - 5th June 2026
5 Jun 2026
From Newlands Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Newlands Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Newlands Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Newlands Primary School 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
- 17
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 6 serious and 9 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 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 Newlands Primary School
Will you get a place at Newlands Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Newlands Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Newlands Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Newlands Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Newlands Primary School for 2014 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
86%
Available places
271 pupils
315 places
44 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Normanton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Normanton
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
61
SEN Support
30
EHC Plans
33.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Newlands Primary School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs and autism: 16 places, 14 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
270
Total Pupils
147
Boys
123
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
20.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,301
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,313
Per pupil
£1954k
Total funding
£195k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
23.6%
Persistent absence
271
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
Newlands Primary School
Questions parents ask about Newlands Primary School
What are SATs results like at Newlands Primary School?
Of the pupils at Newlands Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 49% reached the expected standard in reading and 54% did so in maths.
What is Newlands Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Newlands Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Newlands Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Newlands Primary School is oversubscribed, Wakefield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Newlands Primary School?
Newlands Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Newlands Primary School?
Classes at Newlands Primary School average 17 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Newlands Primary School?
Newlands Primary School has around 270 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Newlands Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Newlands Primary School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities, speech, language and communication needs and autism: 16 places, 14 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Newlands Primary School?
7% of sessions were missed at Newlands Primary School in 2024/25. 23.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Newlands Primary School?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Newlands 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.
How many road collisions happen near Newlands Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 6 serious and 9 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 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 Newlands Primary School?
Newlands Primary School is at Wakefield Road, Normanton, West Yorkshire, WF6 1BB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)