SCHOOL PROFILE

Ackworth Mill Dam School

Primary Academy converter URN 144563
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 236 Published school capacity
Capacity used 95.3% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

6 May 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

20 January 2022
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 9 March 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Wakefield
Trust WATERTON ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 225 222 full-time · 3 part-time
Female pupils 106 47.1% of pupils
Male pupils 119 52.9% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

13.8%
11.0 pts below England
School 13.8%
Wakefield 25.9%
Yorkshire and The Humber 27.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

2.2%
18.1 pts below England
School 2.2%
Wakefield 12.5%
Yorkshire and The Humber 17.9%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Wakefield 0.6%
Yorkshire and The Humber 0.4%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
92.4%
208
White and Asian
2.2%
5
White and Black Caribbean
2.2%
5
Any other White background
1.8%
4
African
0.4%
1
Any other Black background
0.4%
1
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 16.4% 37 of 225 pupils
4.4 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 16.4%
Wakefield 21.0%
Yorkshire and The Humber 20.9%
England 20.8%
SEN support 12.0% 27 pupils
England 14.8% 2.8 pts below
EHC plans 4.4% 10 pupils
England 6.0% 1.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 22
Social, emotional & mental health 9
Physical disability 3
No specialist assessment yet 2
Autistic spectrum disorder 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

68.0% 7.6 pts above England
School 68.0%
Wakefield 64.0%
Yorkshire and The Humber 60.2%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

76.0%

2.2 pts above England

School 76.0%
Wakefield 74.4%
Yorkshire and The Humber 72.8%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

84.0%

13.7 pts above England

School 84.0%
Wakefield 74.7%
Yorkshire and The Humber 70.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

72.0%

In line with England

School 72.0%
Wakefield 74.7%
Yorkshire and The Humber 71.9%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

4.59%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

1.63 pts lower than England
School 4.59%
Wakefield 6.30%
Yorkshire and The Humber 6.13%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

8.52%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

7.29 pts lower than England
School 8.52%
Wakefield 16.12%
Yorkshire and The Humber 15.55%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.14%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.67 pts lower than England
School 1.14%
Wakefield 1.99%
Yorkshire and The Humber 1.77%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

95.3% 7.2 pts above England
Ackworth Mill Dam School
95.3%
Wakefield
96.5%
Yorkshire and The Humber
88.6%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information