Schools & FE · Report card

Ackworth Mill Dam School

Inspected 6 May 2026 · published 18 Jun 2026 · URN 144563

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Dughall McCormick (lead), Andy Taylor, Georgina Chinaka

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
6 May 2026
Inspectors verified
Andy Taylor, Dughall McCormick, Georgina Chinaka
Postcode verified
WF7 7PH
Name on report verified
Ackworth Mill Dam School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
144563

Page 1 of 16

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+82Very positivemore positive than 70% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisehigh-qualityeffectivelypositivelypositiveclearsecuresuccessfullyextremely

Criticismconcernserrorsstrugglenot enthusiasticnot consistentlysuspensions

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1597w+83
Leadership249w+81
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve58w+33

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Leadership & governance38
“Leaders have high expectations for pupils' behaviour, which pupils rise to.” p.2
Curriculum12
“Teachers use their secure subject knowledge and provide pupils with clear explanations of new learning.” p.2
SEND & inclusion11
“Leaders should further refine systems to monitor the progress of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring that any adaptations and support that staff provide are fully effective.” p.6
Behaviour11
“Leaders have high expectations for pupils' behaviour, which pupils rise to.” p.2
Communication & language10
“For example, they use positional language effectively.” p.3
Reading & phonics9
“Pupils talk positively about memorable learning experiences, including using virtual-reality headsets and history trips.” p.6
Personal development9
“Pupils have a secure understanding of protected characteristics.” p.5
Progress & outcomes9
“Leaders are ambitious in providing a culture where pupils achieve success.” p.4

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,955; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 44, typical 43
Average sentence: 12 words
Next steps: 2; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 3%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 54%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 35%

Full report text

Ackworth Mill Dam School

Address: Mill Gate, Ackworth, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF7 7PH Unique reference number (URN): 144563

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils generally achieve well. By the end of Year 6, they typically attain at or above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. Most pupils meet the expected standard in the Year 2 phonics screening check.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged make secure progress from their starting points. For example, in the early years, children with SEND increase their confidence with using new vocabulary.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils are proud of their work. Their books show that they progress well across the curriculum and develop their knowledge securely over time. For instance, pupils write sentences of increasing complexity and use more challenging calculation methods when they are ready.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

In lessons, pupils build new learning on what they already know and can do. They develop secure subject knowledge and vocabulary across the curriculum, which they use to discuss their learning well.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Attendance is a high priority for the school. Leaders ensure they have a clear understanding of attendance trends. They closely check pupils' levels of attendance, both individually and for groups of pupils. Leaders work closely with families and external partners to support improvements in pupils' attendance. As a result, pupils attend school regularly. Their attendance is celebrated with parents and during whole-school assemblies.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils typically behave well. Leaders have high expectations for pupils' behaviour, which pupils rise to. In most lessons, there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Most pupils follow routines successfully. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. They are extremely well mannered and kind to each other. Recently, leaders have reviewed and strengthened their approach to provide consistency of behaviour expectations and rewards. This means that pupils are clear about what is expected of them. Leaders use suspensions appropriately. They respond to any incidents, including bullying, quickly and effectively. As a result, the number of behaviour incidents has reduced dramatically this year.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is well-considered and established. They review and modify the curriculum to reflect the school's context and pupils' learning needs. Staff generally teach the curriculum well. Teachers use their secure subject knowledge and provide pupils with clear explanations of new learning. They design tasks to be interesting and relevant to pupils.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Reading is prioritised. Leaders provide high-quality texts that reflect pupils' interests. This helps to spark interest in less enthusiastic readers. Staff teach the phonics programme well. They model sounds accurately and are quick to spot and address any errors that pupils make. Pupils read books that are well matched to their phonics knowledge.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Developing pupils’ vocabulary is a priority across the school. Leaders have also prioritised oracy. Teachers encourage pupils to discuss their learning together using subject-specific vocabulary. They check pupils' learning regularly and provide opportunities for pupils to revisit prior learning. As a result, pupils build secure knowledge and skills over time.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff provide effective support for pupils who need additional help to catch up with their learning. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers ensure that pupils secure important knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders have successfully focused on developing pupils' handwriting and spelling. Teachers model handwriting, spelling and sentence structure well.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Leaders prioritise the early years. They have a clear vision for a high-quality early education. The early years curriculum identifies the important knowledge that children will learn, including vocabulary and skills. Children achieve well and are ready for their move on to key stage 1.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Leaders recognise the importance that communication and language have in supporting children's readiness for learning. Staff engage children in purposeful interactions. For example, they use positional language effectively. They teach children songs that support their understanding of mathematical concepts, such as counting backwards and forwards.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Children respond positively to clear expectations. In the Reception Year, children independently hang up their coats and put their lunches and water bottles in their allocated places.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Staff provide children with purposeful and engaging learning activities. Children develop high levels of independence in their learning. They sustain their concentration and increase their problem-solving skills. Nursery-age children persevere when learning to put their own coats on. Staff support children to manage risks and develop their large muscle skills, for example when balancing on climbing equipment outdoors.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Leaders quickly identify children who need additional practice to secure their learning. Staff provide appropriate support, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to help these children to learn well. Leaders have focused on ensuring that children have the pre-writing knowledge and skills that they need. Staff provide activities that build children's core muscle strength and their readiness to hold writing equipment. However, there is further work to develop the order in which children learn these important skills.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders identify pupils' additional needs quickly and accurately, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged. Leaders involve parents and carers from the start. Leaders work with external agencies, such as speech and language therapy, to meet pupils' needs successfully.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Staff receive training relevant to the needs of disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. The trust has supported the school with its focus on supporting pupils to access learning, for example through the use of visual aids and ensuring staff's explanations are clear. Staff have also received training on supporting pupils with specific needs, such as neurodivergent conditions. This has led to thoughtful adaptations and activities that are tailored to pupils' needs and reflect their specific interests.

p.4

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders carefully check how well pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged progress through the curriculum. They make sure that additional funding is targeted and monitored to ensure that disadvantaged pupils benefit fully. Leaders adopt a range of strategies to reduce pupils' barriers to learning and widen their opportunities. However, leaders do not review the impact of the support and adaptations that staff provide for pupils with SEND as precisely as they could. This means that they are less well equipped to consistently respond well to changes in pupils’ needs.

p.4