Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #18 in Wakefield public Top 44% UK

Airedale Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Dan Neal

corporate_fareNORTHERN AMBITION ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onCastleford, WF10 3JU

language Visit Website phone 1977664555

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

988

trending_up

Attainment 8

33.8

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#18 in Wakefield

#3,077 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Airedale Academy is a Academy converter secondary school in Castleford, serving ages 11-18. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

Airedale Academy is an academy converter in Castleford, Wakefield, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of NORTHERN AMBITION ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 1,063 pupils on roll, of whom 50% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 33.8, placing the school #18 in Wakefield and #3,077 of 3,216 nationally. 25.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 6.5% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Requires improvement, behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement, personal development Requires improvement, and leadership and management Requires improvement.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 45.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

33.8

Grade 5+ E&M

25.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)6.5%

Entering EBacc4.60%

EBacc APS2.81

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.72

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18.40%

EBacc APS2.89

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.68

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

33.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc13%

EBacc APS2.79

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.23

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc22%

EBacc APS3.41

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc33%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.46

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39%

EBacc APS3.23

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

39.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc56%

EBacc APS3.3

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment11%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

88%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

2024

2023

2022

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

30 January 2024

Inspection Report

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29 November 2022

Inspection Report

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29 September 2020

Inspection Report

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26 September 2017

Inspection Report

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12 November 2013

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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09 January 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2024-01-30

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2017-09-26

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-11-12

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

36.2%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

16.5%(175 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,063 pupils. During this period, there were 385 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 36.2%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,063	385	36.2%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,071	594	55.5%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,025	541	52.8%	7.4%	4
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,039	274	26.4%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,041	450	43.2%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	989	254	25.7%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	988	214	21.7%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	984	253	25.7%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,018	205	20.1%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,039	111	10.7%	4.9%	3
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,031	90	8.7%	4.4%	3
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,007	147	14.6%	3.6%	3
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,006	49	4.9%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,010	145	14.4%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,025	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,025	82	8.0%	3.2%	3
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,030	101	9.8%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	963	61	6.3%	3.1%	5
2018/19 (Spring term)	966	61	6.3%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	965	90	9.3%	3.8%	3
2017/18 (Summer term)	907	52	5.7%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	907	43	4.7%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	913	60	6.6%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	810	52	6.4%	3.0%	2
2016/17 (Spring term)	815	78	9.6%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	827	153	18.5%	3.1%	4

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 65 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 52 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 28 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 22 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 21 pupils

Hearing Impairment 10 pupils

Physical Disability 10 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 7 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

35.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

31.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

10.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree6%

agree15%

disagree27%

strongly disagree50%

don't know2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree2%

agree19%

disagree37%

strongly disagree42%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree2%

agree12%

disagree17%

strongly disagree58%

don't know4%

not applicable8%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes23%

no77%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree8%

disagree25%

strongly disagree50%

dont know17%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree10%

agree21%

disagree21%

strongly disagree27%

don't know21%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree8%

agree37%

disagree29%

strongly disagree17%

don't know10%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree8%

agree29%

disagree29%

strongly disagree29%

don't know6%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree12%

agree46%

disagree21%

strongly disagree10%

don't know12%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree35%

agree52%

disagree4%

strongly disagree8%

don't know2%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree6%

agree19%

disagree25%

strongly disagree37%

don't know13%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes19%

no81%

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Wakefield

The King's School

Ossett Academy and Sixth Form College

Trinity Academy Cathedral

Horbury Academy

Kettlethorpe High School

Castleford Academy