Carleton Park Junior and Infant School

About Carleton Park Junior and Infant School

Carleton Park Junior and Infant School in Wakefield was rated Outstanding across every category in its most recent Ofsted inspection, a significant upgrade from its previous Good rating. The inspection, which took place in 2024, awarded top marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school’s academic performance backs this up: 93% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, placing Carleton Park first out of 97 primary schools in the Wakefield local authority. That figure is well above the local authority average of 64%. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 1% of all primary schools for this measure, sitting at 124th out of 13,686 schools. The school also performs strongly at the higher standard, with 33% of pupils achieving that level across the same three subjects.

Looking more closely at the Key Stage 2 results, Carleton Park’s pupils performed particularly well in reading and maths. 97% reached the expected standard in both subjects, with average scaled scores of 110 in reading and 109 in maths. At the higher standard, 63% of pupils achieved that level in reading, 50% in maths, and 40% in writing. The school’s ranking score of 93 places it joint top in Wakefield alongside Jerry Clay Academy, Horbury Bridge Church of England Junior and Infant Academy, and Larks Hill Junior and Infant School. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 94% of respondents would recommend the school, and 78% strongly agreed that their child is happy there. 81% strongly agreed that their child feels safe, and 81% strongly agreed that their child does well at the school. The school has held an Outstanding rating across both its recent inspections, having previously been rated Good in 2019.

Carleton Park is a mixed, state-funded primary school for children aged 4 to 11, with 203 pupils on roll against a capacity of 218. It is heavily oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, there were 132 applications for 30 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 4.4 to 1. 41 of those applications were first-preference, and 29 first-preference offers were made. The school has a range of facilities including playing fields, a sports hall, a gymnasium, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports offered include gymnastics, cricket, athletics, dance, and netball, while clubs range from drama and coding to gardening and choir. The school provides SEND support for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and hearing impairment. 21.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. For families seeking a high-performing primary with strong parent satisfaction and a clear academic focus, Carleton Park is a standout choice in the Wakefield area.

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