West End Academy
Regent Street, Hemsworth, Pontefract, WF9 4QJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- WATERTON ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Chris Johnson
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Waterton Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Normanton and Hemsworth
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 236
- Pupils on roll
- 187
- URN
- 140003
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01924967617
About this school
West End Academy is a primary academy in Pontefract. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 187 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 November 2024, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. 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 | 26 | 25 | 26 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 81% | 88% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 20% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 88% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 88% | 81% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 88% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 109.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.90 | - | - |
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 West End 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 | 81% | 59.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 88% | 62.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 63.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 210 |
| 2023/24 | 187 |
| 2024/25 | 189 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How West End Academy compares
West End Academy ranked 34th of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 5.1% | 30.7% | 187 | — |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School | 30% | 7.6% | 34.9% | 119 | 0.4 miles |
| St Helen's CE Primary School | 58% | 6.2% | 47.7% | 215 | 0.5 miles |
| Grove Lea Primary School | 77% | 3.9% | 20.6% | 244 | 0.5 miles |
| King's Meadow Academy | 45% | 6.8% | 45.7% | 234 | 1.2 miles |
| Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 86% | 6.7% | 22.6% | 205 | 1.6 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)
- 30.69%
- English as an additional language
- 5.3%
- Overall absence
- 5.09%
- Persistent absence
- 13.53%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
St Helen's CE Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Grove Lea Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
King's Meadow Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Pontefract
West End Academy ranks 15th of the 33 ranked primary schools in Pontefract.
- Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School Primary
- 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
Common questions
- What year groups does West End Academy teach?
- West End Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Pontefract.
- Who is the headteacher of West End Academy?
- The headteacher of West End Academy is Mr Chris Johnson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was West End Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected West End 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 big is West End Academy?
- West End Academy has 187 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is West End Academy full?
- West End Academy has capacity for 236 pupils and 187 on roll (79%), 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 West End Academy a faith school?
- No. West End Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does West End Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records West End Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs West End Academy?
- West End Academy is part of WATERTON ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have West End Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 81% in 2022/23 and 73% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does West End Academy rank locally?
- West End Academy ranked 34th of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is West End Academy's absence rate?
- West End Academy's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are West End Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, West End 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.