Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School
Station Road, Low Ackworth, Pontefract, WF7 7HH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Michael Walker
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Normanton and Hemsworth
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 229
- URN
- 130977
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01977612124
About this school
Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Pontefract. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 229 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 73% | 80% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 7% | 20% |
| Expected standard in reading | 93% | 93% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 87% | 97% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 87% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 106.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.30 | - | - |
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 Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Wakefield average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72% | 59.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 62.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 80% | 63.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 230 |
| 2023/24 | 234 |
| 2024/25 | 230 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School compares
Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School ranked 21st of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 80% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 229 | — |
| Ackworth Mill Dam School | 68% | 4.6% | 16.9% | 225 | 0.7 miles |
| Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane | 83% | 4.6% | 11.1% | 320 | 1.0 miles |
| Badsworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School | 73% | 4.4% | 15.1% | 210 | 1.7 miles |
| Featherstone Purston Infant School | — | 7.6% | 30.7% | 203 | 2.1 miles |
| Larks Hill Junior and Infant School | 97% | 2.4% | 6.4% | 203 | 2.2 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)
- 3.9%
- English as an additional language
- 2.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.05%
- Persistent absence
- 3.89%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ackworth Mill Dam School0.7 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane1.0 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Badsworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School1.7 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Featherstone Purston Infant School2.1 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Larks Hill Junior and Infant School2.2 miles
Primary · Pontefract
Other schools in Pontefract
Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School ranks 7th of the 33 ranked primary schools in Pontefract.
- Ackworth Mill Dam School Primary
- Ash Grove Primary Academy Primary
- Badsworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School Primary
- Carleton Park Junior and Infant School Primary
- Cherry Tree Academy Primary
- Darrington Church of England Primary School Primary
- De Lacy Primary School Primary
- Featherstone All Saints CofE Academy Primary
- Featherstone Girnhill Infant School Primary
- Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant School Primary
- Featherstone Purston Infant School Primary
- Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School teach?
- Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Pontefract.
- Who is the headteacher of Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School?
- The headteacher of Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School is Mr Michael Walker, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 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 Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School?
- Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School has 229 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School full?
- Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School has capacity for 210 pupils and 229 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 Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School a faith school?
- Yes. Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School as having nursery classes.
- How have Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% in 2022/23 and 80% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School compare with other schools in Wakefield?
- Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School ranked 21st of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 87% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School's absence rate?
- Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School'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 30 June 2026.