Merlin Top Primary Academy
Braithwaite Avenue, Keighley, BD22 6HZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST
- Principal
- Mrs Kiara Grove
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Northern Education Trust
- Constituency
- Keighley and Ilkley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 343
- URN
- 139229
- Local authority
- Bradford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01535210028
About this school
Merlin Top Primary Academy is a primary academy in Keighley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 343 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Merlin Top Primary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 10 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 44 | 44 | 44 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 70% | 82% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 0% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 75% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 84% | 91% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 64% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.90 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Merlin Top Primary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bradford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 68% | 56.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 70% | 58.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 82% | 59.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 346 |
| 2023/24 | 333 |
| 2024/25 | 331 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Merlin Top Primary Academy compares
Merlin Top Primary Academy ranked 9th of 159 primary schools in Bradford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 90% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 82% | 5.9% | 55% | 343 | — |
| Our Lady of Victories Catholic School | 62% | 5.1% | 16.4% | 237 | 0.2 miles |
| Victoria Primary School | 63% | 4.9% | 37.2% | 323 | 0.5 miles |
| Keighley St Andrew's CofE Primary School and Nursery | 40% | 7.2% | 30.4% | 313 | 0.5 miles |
| Beckfoot Nessfield | 51% | 5.8% | 21.1% | 252 | 0.6 miles |
| Holycroft Primary School | 58% | 9.7% | 37.4% | 336 | 0.7 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 54.97%
- English as an additional language
- 15.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.87%
- Persistent absence
- 18.05%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Our Lady of Victories Catholic School0.2 miles
Primary · Keighley
-
Victoria Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Keighley
-
Keighley St Andrew's CofE Primary School and Nursery0.5 miles
Primary · Keighley
-
Beckfoot Nessfield0.6 miles
Primary · Keighley
-
Holycroft Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Keighley
Other schools in Keighley
Merlin Top Primary Academy ranks 2nd of the 32 ranked primary schools in Keighley.
- Beckfoot Nessfield Primary
- Bradleys Both Community Primary School Primary
- Cononley Primary School Primary
- Cowling Community Primary School Primary
- East Morton CofE Primary School Primary
- Eastburn Primary School Primary
- Eastwood Community School Primary
- Glusburn Community Primary School Primary
- Haworth Primary School Primary
- Holycroft Primary School Primary
- Ingrow Primary School Primary
- Keighley St Andrew's CofE Primary School and Nursery Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Merlin Top Primary Academy teach?
- Merlin Top Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Keighley.
- Who is the principal of Merlin Top Primary Academy?
- The principal of Merlin Top Primary Academy is Mrs Kiara Grove, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Merlin Top Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Merlin Top Primary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Merlin Top Primary Academy?
- Merlin Top Primary Academy has 343 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Merlin Top Primary Academy full?
- Merlin Top Primary Academy has capacity for 315 pupils and 343 on roll (109%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Merlin Top Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Merlin Top Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Merlin Top Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Merlin Top Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Merlin Top Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Merlin Top Primary Academy is part of NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Merlin Top Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 82% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Merlin Top Primary Academy compare with other schools in Bradford?
- Merlin Top Primary Academy ranked 9th of 159 primary schools in Bradford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 90% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Merlin Top Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Merlin Top Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Merlin Top Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Merlin Top Primary Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 7 July 2026.