Ofsted: Good emoji_events #53 in Wakefield public Top 56% UK

Airedale Junior Academy

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

personMrs Kirsten McKechnie

corporate_fareNORTHERN AMBITION ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onCastleford, WF10 3EP

language Visit Website phone 1977556946

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

groups

Students

403

school

Expected Standard

62%

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Age Range

7-11

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Airedale Junior Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Castleford, serving ages 7-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 56% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Airedale Junior Academy is an academy sponsor led in Castleford, Wakefield, admitting pupils aged 7-11. It is part of NORTHERN AMBITION ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 378 pupils on roll, of whom 41% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 62% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 4% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #53 of 98 primaries in Wakefield and #7,210 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 23.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

62%

LA 64%

Reading71% LA 74%

Writing71% LA 75%

Maths75% LA 75%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

37%

LA 63%England 61%

Reading63% LA 73% · Eng 74%

Writing62% LA 74% · Eng 72%

Maths49% LA 74% · Eng 73%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

100

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

44%

LA 59%England 60%

Reading61% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Writing61% LA 73% · Eng 71%

Maths69% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.6

Read

LA -0.7

-2.7 to -0.4

-1.7

Write

LA 0.1

-2.8 to -0.5

-0.7

Maths

LA 0.0

-1.8 to 0.4

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

50%

LA 63%England 65%

Reading60% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing74% LA 78% · Eng 78%

Maths68% LA 78% · Eng 79%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.7

Read

LA -0.7

-3.1 to -0.4

0.5

Write

LA 0.1

-0.7 to 1.7

-1.5

Maths

LA -0.1

-2.6 to -0.3

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

44%

LA 60%

Reading57% LA 71%

Writing78% LA 77%

Maths58% LA 72%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

100

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.5

Read

LA -0.7

-2.7 to -0.3

1.8

Write

LA 0.1

0.7 to 2.9

-2.1

Maths

LA -0.6

-3.1 to -1.1

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

18 April 2023

Inspection Report

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06 December 2017

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2017-12-06

Academy First Section 5 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-03-12

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

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

2.9%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.6%(6 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 378 pupils. During this period, there were 11 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.9%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	378	11	2.9%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	376	12	3.2%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	385	10	2.6%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	386	6	1.6%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	391	4	1.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	402	1	0.2%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	403	3	0.7%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	403	1	0.2%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	417	6	1.4%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	424	5	1.2%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	423	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	453	7	1.5%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	449	0	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	450	4	0.9%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	442	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	442	1	0.2%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	445	1	0.2%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	421	3	0.7%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	423	7	1.7%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	420	7	1.7%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	426	2	0.5%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	417	7	1.7%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	411	8	1.9%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	403	3	0.7%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	406	6	1.5%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	411	1	0.2%	0.5%

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.

Speech, Language & Communication 37 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 28 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 4 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 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.

95.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

96.0%Positive

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

24.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree33%

agree48%

disagree10%

strongly disagree10%

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

strongly agree33%

agree52%

disagree10%

don't know5%

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

strongly agree38%

agree33%

disagree5%

strongly disagree5%

not applicable19%

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.

strongly agree38%

agree52%

disagree5%

don't know5%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree43%

agree48%

disagree5%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree57%

agree33%

disagree10%

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

strongly agree52%

agree24%

disagree14%

don't know10%

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

strongly agree52%

agree43%

disagree5%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree43%

agree43%

disagree10%

strongly disagree5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes81%

no19%

Top Primary Schools in Wakefield

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Stanley St Peters Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Good

location_on Wakefield, WF3 4HS

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Stanley Grove Primary and Nursery Academy

Good

location_on Wakefield, WF3 4NT

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Carleton Park Junior and Infant School

Good

location_on Pontefract, WF8 3PT

emoji_events #3 in LA

Rooks Nest Academy

Good

location_on Wakefield, WF1 3DX

emoji_events #4 in LA

Ossett Southdale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School

Good

location_on Ossett, WF5 8BA

emoji_events #5 in LA

Normanton Junior Academy

Good

location_on Normanton, WF6 1EY

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Wakefield arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

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.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Wakefield

Stanley St Peters Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Stanley Grove Primary and Nursery Academy

Carleton Park Junior and Infant School

Rooks Nest Academy

Ossett Southdale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School

Normanton Junior Academy