Carlton Primary School

About Carlton Primary School

Carlton Primary School sits within the Leeds local authority, a large and varied primary landscape with 221 schools of its type. The school ranks 51st out of 204 primaries in Leeds on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the top quarter of the authority. For context, the very top performers in the area include Harewood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Shadwell Primary School, and Horsforth Featherbank Primary School, all of which score higher on the same metric. Carlton’s ranking is a solid one, and it sits comfortably above the Leeds average for key stage 2 outcomes. The school is led by headteacher Millie Brook and has a capacity of 367 pupils, with 320 currently on roll. It is a mixed, non-religious state primary for children aged 3 to 11, and it offers nursery provision. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in January 2025, confirmed that standards are being maintained, following a full graded inspection in February 2020 that awarded a Good rating across all areas.

Academically, Carlton Primary School performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 key stage 2 results, 71% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Leeds average of 61%. The school’s reading and maths average scores were 105 and 104 respectively, and in writing, 81% of pupils met the expected standard. At the higher standard, 6% achieved the top level across all three subjects, with 29% reaching that level in reading and 21% in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the 27th percentile among all primaries, and within Yorkshire and the Humber it sits in the 24th percentile. The school’s Ofsted history shows clear improvement: its previous graded inspection in November 2017 rated it Requires Improvement overall, with leadership and management and early years provision both requiring improvement. The February 2020 inspection turned that around to Good across the board, a rating it has now held through two subsequent inspections.

Carlton Primary School is a popular choice in the area, and the admissions data for 2025/26 confirms it is oversubscribed. There were 132 applications for 44 places, a ratio of three applications per place, with 39 first-preference offers made. The school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, music rooms, an ICT suite, a gymnasium, playing fields, a forest school, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, athletics, cricket and tennis, and clubs range from art and coding to science, chess and choir. The school’s SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, and other difficulties. Parent View responses from 79 respondents in the 2024/25 period show strong satisfaction: 95% of parents agreed their child is happy, 96% felt their child is safe, and 85% would recommend the school. However, opinions on SEND support were more divided, with 40% agreeing and 40% disagreeing that the school gives SEND children the support they need.

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