Abbey Park Academy
Keighley Close, Illingworth, Halifax, HX2 9DG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Natasha Searby
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Northern Education Trust
- Constituency
- Halifax
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 217
- URN
- 140172
- Local authority
- Calderdale
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01422246610
About this school
Abbey Park Academy is a primary academy in Halifax. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 217 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Abbey Park Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 September 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 30 | 30 | 27 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 77% | 85% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 13% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 63% | 77% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 90% | 83% | 85% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 77% | 85% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.40 | - | - |
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 Abbey Park 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 | Calderdale average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57% | 59.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 77% | 57.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 85% | 60.6% | 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% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 218 |
| 2023/24 | 202 |
| 2024/25 | 226 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Abbey Park Academy compares
Abbey Park Academy ranked 5th of 76 primary schools in Calderdale for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 94% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 85% | 5.4% | 51.8% | 217 | — |
| Trinity Academy Whitehill | 67% | 4.7% | 29% | 593 | 0.4 miles |
| Ash Green Community Primary School | 42% | 6.3% | 62% | 440 | 0.6 miles |
| Moorside Community Primary School | 55% | 7.4% | 52.9% | 231 | 0.9 miles |
| St Malachy's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | 58% | 8.1% | 62% | 172 | 0.9 miles |
| Bradshaw Primary School | 78% | 3.7% | 14.2% | 323 | 0.9 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)
- 51.79%
- English as an additional language
- 4.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.44%
- Persistent absence
- 15.25%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Trinity Academy Whitehill0.4 miles
Primary · Halifax
-
Ash Green Community Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Halifax
-
Moorside Community Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Halifax
-
St Malachy's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Halifax
-
Bradshaw Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Halifax
Other schools in Halifax
Abbey Park Academy ranks 4th of the 41 ranked primary schools in Halifax.
- All Saints' CofE Primary School Primary
- Ash Green Community Primary School Primary
- Barkisland CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Beech Hill School Primary
- Bowling Green Academy Primary
- Bradshaw Primary School Primary
- Christ Church Pellon CofE VC Primary School Primary
- Cliffe Hill Community Primary School Primary
- Copley Primary School Primary
- Dean Field Community Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Primary School, A Church of England Academy Primary
- Holywell Green Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Abbey Park Academy teach?
- Abbey Park Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Halifax.
- Who is the headteacher of Abbey Park Academy?
- The headteacher of Abbey Park Academy is Ms Natasha Searby, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Abbey Park Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Abbey Park 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 Abbey Park Academy?
- Abbey Park Academy has 217 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Abbey Park Academy full?
- Abbey Park Academy has capacity for 240 pupils and 217 on roll (90%), so it has space against 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 Abbey Park Academy a faith school?
- No. Abbey Park Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Abbey Park Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Abbey Park Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Abbey Park Academy part of an academy trust?
- Abbey Park 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 Abbey Park Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 57% in 2022/23 and 85% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Abbey Park Academy compare with other schools in Calderdale?
- Abbey Park Academy ranked 5th of 76 primary schools in Calderdale for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 94% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Abbey Park Academy's absence rate?
- Abbey Park Academy's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Abbey Park Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Abbey Park 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.