Ryecroft Primary Academy

About Ryecroft Primary Academy

Ryecroft Primary Academy is a state-funded mixed primary school in the Bradford local authority, serving children aged 3 to 11. In the most recent local rankings for primary schools, it sits at 77th out of 153 schools in the borough, placing it in the bottom half of its tier. For context, the top-performing peers in the area include All Saints' CofE Primary School, Harden Primary School, and Copthorne Primary School, all of which achieved higher ranking scores. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is St John's CofE Primary School, located just 1.3 kilometres away. Ryecroft itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in 2019, and an ungraded inspection in February 2025 confirmed that standards have been maintained. This represents a significant improvement from its previous inspection in 2016, when the school was rated Inadequate overall. Leadership and management, as well as early years provision, are now both rated Good.

Academically, Ryecroft's Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show that 60% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. This is just above the Bradford local authority average of 59%. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was only 3%, which is low. In individual subjects, 73% of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, 70% in writing, and 77% in maths. Average scaled scores were 101 in reading and 103 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks 7,706th out of 13,686 primary schools based on the combined expected standard metric, placing it in the 56th percentile. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. The school has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 55.7%, which is well above the national average and reflects the challenges faced by the local community.

The school offers a range of facilities including an ICT suite, library, gymnasium, sports hall, sensory room, and a forest school area, as well as outdoor playground space. Sports on offer include football, dance, cricket, athletics, tennis, and swimming, and there are clubs for gardening, art, and drama. Ryecroft has a nursery provision for children from age 3, and its published admission number for the 2025/26 reception intake is 15 places. The school was oversubscribed, with 29 total applications and 15 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.93. For families with children who have special educational needs, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With its Good Ofsted rating and above-average combined expected standard compared to the local authority, Ryecroft is a solid choice for Bradford families seeking a primary school with a broad range of facilities and clubs.

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