Pontefract Academies Trust has been named in the top 10% of education trusts in the country in the Department for Education Performance Tables for primary schools, published last month.
The performance tables compared the performance of 297 multi academy trusts for primary school performance with the Trust being rated 22nd in the rank order for attainment. The performance sees a reversal in fortunes for the Trust having been rated the 11th worst performing trust the previous year. The performance places the Trust as one of the most improved in the sector.
77% of children in the Trust primary schools achieved the national expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the age of 11 against a national average of 65%.
The Trust is also celebrating the good news that three of their primary schools were placed in the top 10 of all primary schools in the Wakefield Local Authority for the first time ever. Halfpenny Lane, Larks Hill and Carleton Park were the schools making the top 10.
Tom Fay, Director of Primary Education at the Trust, said “We are delighted with the improvements that have been made across our family of primary schools. There has been a real effort over the last 18 months to raise standards and the performance tables are a strong endorsement of the work of staff and pupils across our schools”.
The primary schools’ performance comes on the back of the improvement made by the Trust in delivering an Ofsted good judgement for Carleton High School in July last year, the first time the school had received this for 10 years.
Julian Appleyard OBE, Chief Executive Officer of the Trust, added “The performance of our schools is highly encouraging. There is always more to do, but to see more Pontefract children leave primary school with better levels of reading, writing and maths is enormously positive. It means our children can enter the next phase of their education with confidence. Our job as an education trust is to advance education for public benefit and these outcomes and performance measures endorse this”.