Airedale Academy
Crewe Road, Airedale, Castleford, WF10 3JU
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- CASTLEFORD ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Andy Percival
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Castleford Academy
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,250
- Pupils on roll
- 1,008
- URN
- 136613
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01977664555
About this school
Airedale Academy is a secondary academy in Castleford. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,008 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Airedale 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
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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Requires improvement
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Sixth form
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 178 | 158 | 195 |
| Attainment 8 score | 33.2 | 34.0 | 33.8 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.68 -0.89 to -0.47 | -0.72 -0.95 to -0.50 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 23% | 24.1% | 25.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 42% | 39.9% | 43.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 13% | 18.4% | 4.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Airedale 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 | Wakefield average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 33.2 | 38.3 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 34 | 39.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 33.8 | 38.4 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 15.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 988 |
| 2023/24 | 1,039 |
| 2024/25 | 1,063 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Airedale Academy compares
Airedale Academy ranked 18th of 18 secondary schools in Wakefield for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 25% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 2% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 33.8 | 15.2% | 49.7% | 1,008 | — |
| Castleford Academy | 48.5 | 8.7% | 27.8% | 1,480 | 1.3 miles |
| The King's School | 49.9 | 6.6% | 24.4% | 1,041 | 2.5 miles |
| St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy | 46.7 | 8% | 22.6% | 1,470 | 2.6 miles |
| De Lacy Academy | 45.6 | 10.9% | 39.8% | 853 | 3.1 miles |
| Carleton High School | 47.5 | 7.2% | 30.1% | 1,026 | 3.1 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.
Inspection history
- 30 January 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report30 November 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 49.66%
- English as an additional language
- 7.9%
- Overall absence
- 15.23%
- Persistent absence
- 41.88%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Castleford Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Castleford
-
The King's School2.5 miles
Secondary · Pontefract
-
St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy2.6 miles
Secondary · Pontefract
-
De Lacy Academy3.1 miles
Secondary · Knottingley
-
Carleton High School3.1 miles
Secondary · Pontefract
Other schools in Castleford
- Brigshaw High School Secondary
- Castleford Academy Secondary
- Ackton Pastures Primary Academy Primary
- Airedale Infant Academy Primary
- Airedale Junior Academy Primary
- Allerton Bywater Primary School Primary
- Castleford Park Junior Academy Primary
- Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy Primary
- Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery Primary
- Fairburn View Primary School, Castleford Primary
- Glasshoughton Infant Academy Primary
- Half Acres Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Airedale Academy teach?
- Airedale Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Castleford.
- Who is the principal of Airedale Academy?
- The principal of Airedale Academy is Mr Andy Percival, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Airedale Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Airedale 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 Airedale Academy?
- Airedale Academy has 1,008 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Airedale Academy full?
- Airedale Academy has capacity for 1,250 pupils and 1,008 on roll (81%), 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 Airedale Academy a faith school?
- No. Airedale Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Airedale Academy a selective school?
- No. Airedale Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Airedale Academy part of an academy trust?
- Airedale Academy is part of CASTLEFORD ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Airedale Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 33.2 in 2022/23 and 33.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Airedale Academy compare with other schools in Wakefield?
- Airedale Academy ranked 18th of 18 secondary schools in Wakefield for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 25% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 2% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Airedale Academy's absence rate?
- Airedale Academy's overall absence rate is 15.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Airedale Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Airedale 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 1 July 2026.