Horbury Primary Academy

About Horbury Primary Academy

Horbury Primary Academy sits slightly above the Wakefield local authority average for its key stage 2 headline measure, with 68 per cent of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 64 per cent. That four-point gap places the school 44th out of 97 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the top half of local provision. The school’s ranking score of 68 places it in the top 50 tier within Wakefield, though it sits some way behind the three top-performing peers in the area, each of which scored 93. Nationally, Horbury Primary ranks in the 36th percentile among all primary schools, a solid but not standout position. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2022 rated it Good overall, with behaviour and attitudes judged Outstanding — a notable strength that sets it apart from many local peers.

Looking more closely at the academic data, the school’s individual subject scores paint a mixed picture. In reading, 80 per cent of pupils met the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 106, and 23 per cent reached the higher standard. Maths performed similarly, with 80 per cent at expected and an average score of 106, though only 18 per cent hit the higher threshold. Writing saw 75 per cent at expected and 25 per cent at the higher standard. The combined expected standard of 68 per cent is above the LA average, but the proportion reaching the higher standard across all three subjects is just 7 per cent, which is relatively low. The school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections — the previous one in 2013 also rated it Good — and the consistency in leadership and management, also rated Good, suggests steady stewardship under headteacher James Tucker.

The school is oversubscribed, with 99 applications for 39 places in the 2025/26 admission round, giving a ratio of 2.54 applicants per place. Of those, 37 first-preference offers were made, matching the number of first-preference applications, which suggests strong local demand. Horbury Primary Academy has a nursery provision and caters for children from age 3 to 11. Its facilities include playing fields, a sports hall, art studios, a dining hall and a chapel. Sports offered include gymnastics, netball, dance and athletics, while clubs range from coding and science to eco club, chess and book club. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. For families seeking a Good-rated primary with strong behaviour standards and a broad extracurricular offer, this school is a reliable local choice, though those prioritising high proportions of top-grade outcomes may want to look at the higher-scoring peers nearby.

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