Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Places Available emoji_events #4 in Bradford public Top 9% UK

Merlin Top Primary Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr N Cooper

corporate_fareNORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST

location_onKeighley, BD22 6HZ

language Visit Website phone 1535210028

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2019

groups

Students

346

school

Expected Standard

82%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

Merlin Top Primary Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Keighley, serving ages 3-11. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Ranks in the top 9% of primary schools nationally.

article

School Summary

Merlin Top Primary Academy is an academy sponsor led in Keighley, Bradford, admitting pupils aged 3-11. It is part of NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 331 pupils on roll, of whom 55% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 82% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 11% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #4 of 156 primaries in Bradford and #540 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.9 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

82%

LA 60%

Reading82% LA 73%

Writing89% LA 70%

Maths91% LA 71%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

108

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

70%

LA 58%England 61%

Reading75% LA 71% · Eng 74%

Writing82% LA 70% · Eng 72%

Maths84% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

68%

LA 57%England 60%

Reading73% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Writing75% LA 71% · Eng 71%

Maths80% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.2

Read

LA -0.6

-1.8 to 2.1

1.3

Write

LA 0.1

-0.6 to 3.2

0.9

Maths

LA -0.1

-0.9 to 2.7

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

63%

LA 62%England 65%

Reading70% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing67% LA 76% · Eng 78%

Maths65% LA 77% · Eng 79%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.9

Read

LA 0.4

0.0 to 3.8

2.6

Write

LA 0.6

0.9 to 4.4

1.0

Maths

LA 0.8

-0.6 to 2.7

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

67%

LA 60%

Reading73% LA 71%

Writing71% LA 75%

Maths76% LA 73%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

3.5

Read

LA 0.2

1.7 to 5.3

1.5

Write

LA 0.7

-0.2 to 3.2

3.9

Maths

LA 0.8

2.3 to 5.5

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

09 October 2024

Inspection Report

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27 March 2019

Inspection Report

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29 November 2016

Inspection Report

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20 October 2015

Inspection Report

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12 March 2015

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2019-03-27

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2016-11-29

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-10-20

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2015-03-12

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

2.4%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.2%(4 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 331 pupils. During this period, there were 8 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.4%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	331	8	2.4%	0.8%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	316	17	5.4%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	338	8	2.4%	0.8%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	333	15	4.5%	0.7%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	328	23	7.0%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	348	8	2.3%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	346	9	2.6%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	343	14	4.1%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	350	14	4.0%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	332	18	5.4%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	327	2	0.6%	0.5%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	328	1	0.3%	0.4%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	317	4	1.3%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	319	9	2.8%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	329	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	329	4	1.2%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	329	1	0.3%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	331	5	1.5%	0.4%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	337	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	328	2	0.6%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	336	1	0.3%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	350	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	346	1	0.3%	0.5%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	365	3	0.8%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	363	1	0.3%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	351	2	0.6%	0.5%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 38 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 13 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 8 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 6 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Profound & Multiple Learning 1 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

96.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

96.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

26.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree52%

agree43%

disagree3%

strongly disagree2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree61%

agree33%

disagree5%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree43%

agree23%

disagree2%

strongly disagree2%

don't know4%

not applicable26%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes23%

no77%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree64%

agree28%

disagree4%

strongly disagree4%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree54%

agree36%

disagree1%

strongly disagree2%

don't know7%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree70%

agree24%

disagree3%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree63%

agree32%

disagree4%

strongly disagree2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree64%

agree32%

disagree2%

don't know3%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree55%

agree35%

disagree4%

strongly disagree2%

don't know5%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree54%

agree38%

disagree2%

strongly disagree2%

don't know4%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes95%

no5%

Top Primary Schools in Bradford

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Marshfield Primary

Good

location_on Bradford, BD5 9DS

emoji_events #1 in LA

Brackenhill Primary School

Good

location_on Bradford, BD7 4HA

emoji_events #2 in LA

Newhall Park Primary School

Good

location_on Bradford, BD4 6AF

emoji_events #3 in LA

Farfield Primary and Nursery School

Good

location_on Bradford, BD6 2BS

emoji_events #5 in LA

Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy

Good

location_on Bradford, BD3 7AU

emoji_events #6 in LA

St John's CofE Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Bradford, BD4 6JF

emoji_events #7 in LA

View all schools in Bradford arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Bradford

Marshfield Primary

Brackenhill Primary School

Newhall Park Primary School

Farfield Primary and Nursery School

Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy

St John's CofE Primary School