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Appleton Academy

Woodside Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD12 8AL ·

Report card: areas need attention· 2026

At a glance

A state all-through academy for ages 3–16 in Bradford. Ofsted report card (June 2026): areas need attention. GCSE results are well below the England average (Attainment 8: 35.1 vs 46.1, 2024/25). 183 families put it first for 187 places (September 2026 entry).

Ages: 3–16
Pupils: 1,207
Gender: Mixed
Sixth form: No
Admissions: Non-selective
Local authority: Bradford
Academy trust: EXCEED ACADEMIES TRUST
Headteacher: Ms Rachel Cruise
Opened: Sept 2017
Nursery: Has nursery classes

School website 01274600550 Explore the area

Inspection

Ofsted report card (renewed framework)

Read reports

Inspected 16 Jun 2026Published 16 Jul 2026

SafeguardingMet
InclusionExpected standard
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
AchievementNeeds attention
Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
Personal development and well-beingExpected standard
Early yearsExpected standard
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention

Report cards grade each area separately on a five-point scale, from Urgent improvement to Exceptional. There is no single overall grade, and results are not directly comparable with earlier grades such as “Good”.

Inspection reports describe the school on the day. Read the full report and visit the school before deciding.

Exam results

Department for Education performance tables

GCSE results, 2024/25 · 163 pupils

Attainment 8

35.1

England 46.1

Grade 5+ Eng & maths

27%

England 45.4%

Grade 4+ Eng & maths

42.3%

England 64.8%

Progress 8

-0.87

2023/24 · CI -1.09 to -0.65

This school

35.1

Bradford

40.8

England

46.1

Attainment 8 over time

Progress 8 isn't published for 2024/25 because those pupils had no KS2 test results (tests were cancelled in 2020). Exams were not held in 2019/20 or 2020/21.

Admissions

Demand for places and how places are allocated

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Year 7 entry, September 2026 (national offer day data)

Offers made

163

1st preferences

164

All applications

358

1st prefs per place

1.01

More first choices than places

148 of 164 first-preference applicants were offered a place (90%). 3 offers went to families living in another council area.

Oversubscribed with first preferences

Earlier years include data recorded for this school's predecessor.

Catchment area

We don't have an official catchment boundary for this school. Many schools don't have one, and few councils publish boundaries as open data. We don't estimate catchments. Check the school's admissions policy or the council's admissions booklet.

Last distance offered

Not published nationally. Many councils publish the furthest distance offered for each school in their annual allocation reports. Past distances vary year to year with demand and sibling numbers, so they are not a guarantee.

How places are allocated: you apply through your home council. When a school has more applicants than places, it applies its published oversubscription criteria in order. These usually start with looked-after children, then siblings, then catchment or distance; faith schools may prioritise church attendance. Children with an EHC plan naming the school are admitted first. Apply on GOV.UK

Pupils

School census 2024/25

Pupils

1,254

Capacity

1,378

88% full

Girls / boys

49/51

Mixed

Eligible for free school meals (last 6 years)52.2%
English as an additional language10.4%
SEN support19.3%
Education, Health and Care plan6.1%
The black tick shows the median for state-funded all-through schools in England.