Darrington Church of England Primary School
Denby Crest, Darrington, Pontefract, WF8 3SB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DARRINGTON CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Christopher Lunn
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 129
- URN
- 140110
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01977232320
About this school
Darrington Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Pontefract. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 129 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Darrington Church of England Primary 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- 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 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 54% | 71% | 64% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 7% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 86% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 86% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 85% | 93% | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 107.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.20 | - | - |
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 Darrington Church of England Primary 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 | 54% | 59.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 62.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 64% | 63.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 126 |
| 2023/24 | 123 |
| 2024/25 | 129 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Darrington Church of England Primary School compares
Darrington Church of England Primary School ranked 52nd of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64% | 5.8% | 10.3% | 129 | — |
| The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School | 73% | 3.7% | 20.9% | 330 | 1.2 miles |
| De Lacy Primary School | 80% | 4.6% | 51.9% | 342 | 1.3 miles |
| Cherry Tree Academy | 49% | 7.4% | 50% | 233 | 1.4 miles |
| Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | 35% | 8.3% | 28.1% | 199 | 1.4 miles |
| Simpson's Lane Academy | 84% | 5.2% | 57.7% | 387 | 1.7 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)
- 10.28%
- English as an additional language
- 1.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.8%
- Persistent absence
- 17.02%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School1.2 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
De Lacy Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Cherry Tree Academy1.4 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy1.4 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Simpson's Lane Academy1.7 miles
Primary · Knottingley
Other schools in Pontefract
Darrington Church of England Primary School ranks 18th 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
- 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 Darrington Church of England Primary School teach?
- Darrington Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Pontefract.
- Who is the headteacher of Darrington Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Darrington Church of England Primary School is Headteacher Christopher Lunn, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Darrington Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Darrington Church of England Primary 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 Darrington Church of England Primary School?
- Darrington Church of England Primary School has 129 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Darrington Church of England Primary School full?
- Darrington Church of England Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 129 on roll (123%), 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 Darrington Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Darrington Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does Darrington Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Darrington Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Darrington Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Darrington Church of England Primary School is part of DARRINGTON CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Darrington Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 54% in 2022/23 and 64% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Darrington Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Wakefield?
- Darrington Church of England Primary School ranked 52nd of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Darrington Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Darrington Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Darrington Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Darrington Church of England Primary 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 1 July 2026.