Cherry Tree Academy

About Cherry Tree Academy

Cherry Tree Academy is a mixed state primary in Wakefield, serving 240 pupils aged 3 to 11 under headteacher Adam Dawson. Within the local authority’s 113 primary schools, it ranks 90th on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of Wakefield primaries. The top-performing peers in the LA — Jerry Clay Academy, Horbury Bridge Church of England Junior and Infant Academy, and Larks Hill Junior and Infant School — all share a ranking score of 93, well above Cherry Tree’s score of 43. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is De Lacy Primary School, just half a kilometre away. Cherry Tree itself was graded Requires Improvement in its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2024, though the breakdown shows some progress: behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management all received a Good rating. Only the quality of education was judged Requires Improvement, the same grade it held in its previous inspection in 2020.

At key stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, just 43% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well below the Wakefield LA average of 64%. Only 2% of pupils achieved the higher standard in that combined measure. In individual subjects, 55% met the expected standard in reading, 64% in writing, and 50% in maths. Average scores sat at 101 in reading and 98 in maths. Nationally, Cherry Tree ranks in the bottom 13% of all primary schools on the combined expected standard metric, and within Yorkshire and the Humber it sits in the bottom 14%. The school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to compare how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Despite the academic results, parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of the 47 respondents to the Parent View survey would recommend the school, and 98% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 60 applications for 28 places and 16 first-preference offers made. Facilities include a library, ICT suite, sports hall, music rooms, sensory room, forest school and a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, cricket, gymnastics and dance, while clubs range from chess and coding to gardening and film club. The school’s SEND provisions cover moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, hearing impairment, and social, emotional and mental health support. Among the 45% of parents who said their child has SEND, 81% agreed or strongly agreed that the school gives them the support they need. With nursery provision on site, Cherry Tree may suit families looking for a full primary journey from age 3, particularly those who value strong pastoral care and a wide range of extracurricular activities over top-tier academic outcomes.

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