Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #82 in Wakefield public Top 83% UK

Cherry Tree Academy

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

personMr Adam Dawson

corporate_fareWATERTON ACADEMY TRUST

location_onPontefract, WF8 2HN

language Visit Website phone 1977704138

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

257

school

Expected Standard

49%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

Cherry Tree Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Pontefract, serving ages 3-11. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards. Ranks in the top 83% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Cherry Tree Academy is an academy sponsor led in Pontefract, Wakefield, admitting pupils aged 3-11. It is part of WATERTON ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 240 pupils on roll, of whom 50% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 49% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 5% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #82 of 98 primaries in Wakefield and #11,689 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

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

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.4:1. There is 1 teaching vacancy.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 6.1 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

49%

LA 64%

Reading53% LA 74%

Writing63% LA 75%

Maths60% LA 75%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

100

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

43%

LA 63%England 61%

Reading55% LA 73% · Eng 74%

Writing64% LA 74% · Eng 72%

Maths50% LA 74% · Eng 73%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

26%

LA 59%England 60%

Reading40% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Writing63% LA 73% · Eng 71%

Maths44% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

-5.0

Read

LA -0.7

-7.0 to -3.0

-1.7

Write

LA 0.1

-3.6 to 0.1

-4.9

Maths

LA 0.0

-6.7 to -3.0

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

34%

LA 63%England 65%

Reading48% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing57% LA 78% · Eng 78%

Maths50% LA 78% · Eng 79%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

100

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.4

Read

LA -0.7

-3.3 to 0.4

-1.6

Write

LA 0.1

-3.3 to 0.1

-1.8

Maths

LA -0.1

-3.4 to -0.2

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

40%

LA 60%

Reading53% LA 71%

Writing76% LA 77%

Maths42% LA 72%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.9

Read

LA -0.7

-3.8 to 0

1.3

Write

LA 0.1

-0.4 to 3

-3

Maths

LA -0.6

-4.6 to -1.4

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

26 March 2025

Inspection Report

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30 January 2024

Inspection Report

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11 March 2020

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2024-01-30

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2020-03-11

Academy First Section 5 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2016-11-22

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 EIF

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

2014-09-10

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

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

4.6%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.1%(5 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 240 pupils. During this period, there were 11 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.6%, 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)	240	11	4.6%	0.8%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	248	19	7.7%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	241	32	13.3%	0.8%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	243	26	10.7%	0.7%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	246	33	13.4%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	266	20	7.5%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	257	21	8.2%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	256	15	5.9%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	307	29	9.4%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	302	71	23.5%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	297	66	22.2%	0.5%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	321	51	15.9%	0.4%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	317	9	2.8%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	309	60	19.4%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	310	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	310	57	18.4%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	296	44	14.9%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	329	13	4.0%	0.4%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	319	4	1.3%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	319	7	2.2%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	332	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	318	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	314	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	340	2	0.6%	0.4%	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.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 23 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 11 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 9 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 8 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 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.

93.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

92.0%Positive

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

40.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree42%

agree44%

disagree9%

strongly disagree3%

don't know1%

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

strongly agree42%

agree44%

disagree7%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree37%

agree30%

disagree5%

strongly disagree5%

don't know2%

not applicable21%

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

yes24%

no76%

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

strongly agree57%

agree14%

disagree5%

strongly disagree10%

dont know14%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree48%

agree36%

disagree8%

strongly disagree2%

don't know6%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree56%

agree37%

disagree6%

strongly disagree1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree51%

agree38%

disagree7%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree48%

agree45%

disagree2%

strongly disagree1%

don't know3%

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

strongly agree38%

agree42%

disagree8%

strongly disagree3%

don't know8%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree45%

agree34%

disagree7%

strongly disagree2%

don't know12%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes87%

no13%

Top Primary Schools in Wakefield

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Stanley St Peters Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Good

location_on Wakefield, WF3 4HS

emoji_events #1 in LA

Stanley Grove Primary and Nursery Academy

Good

location_on Wakefield, WF3 4NT

emoji_events #2 in LA

Carleton Park Junior and Infant School

Good

location_on Pontefract, WF8 3PT

emoji_events #3 in LA

Rooks Nest Academy

Good

location_on Wakefield, WF1 3DX

emoji_events #4 in LA

Ossett Southdale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School

Good

location_on Ossett, WF5 8BA

emoji_events #5 in LA

Normanton Junior Academy

Good

location_on Normanton, WF6 1EY

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Wakefield 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 Wakefield

Stanley St Peters Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Stanley Grove Primary and Nursery Academy

Carleton Park Junior and Infant School

Rooks Nest Academy

Ossett Southdale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School

Normanton Junior Academy