St Giles C of E Academy
St Giles C of E Academy, Skinner Lane, Pontefract, WF8 1HG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ENHANCE ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Andrew Richard Grace
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Enhance Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 337
- URN
- 140453
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01977794179
About this school
St Giles C of E Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Pontefract. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 337 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 8 January 2025, 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 | 42 | 45 | 45 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% | 80% | 78% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 7% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 87% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 82% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 84% | 84% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.20 | - | - |
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 St Giles C of E 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 | 76% | 59.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 62.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 78% | 63.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 340 |
| 2023/24 | 353 |
| 2024/25 | 349 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Giles C of E Academy compares
St Giles C of E Academy ranked 25th of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 78% | 5.1% | 22.3% | 337 | — |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract | 77% | 4.7% | 10.4% | 222 | 0.4 miles |
| Halfpenny Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School | 93% | 3.7% | 24% | 434 | 0.7 miles |
| De Lacy Primary School | 80% | 4.6% | 51.9% | 342 | 0.8 miles |
| Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | 35% | 8.3% | 28.1% | 199 | 0.9 miles |
| Orchard Head Junior and Infant and Nursery School | 89% | 4.4% | 20.4% | 335 | 0.9 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)
- 22.33%
- English as an additional language
- 9.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.1%
- Persistent absence
- 14.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract0.4 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Halfpenny Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School0.7 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
De Lacy Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Orchard Head Junior and Infant and Nursery School0.9 miles
Primary · Pontefract
Other schools in Pontefract
St Giles C of E Academy ranks 9th 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 St Giles C of E Academy teach?
- St Giles C of E Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Pontefract.
- Who is the headteacher of St Giles C of E Academy?
- The headteacher of St Giles C of E Academy is Mr Andrew Richard Grace, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Giles C of E Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Giles C of E 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 St Giles C of E Academy?
- St Giles C of E Academy has 337 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Giles C of E Academy full?
- St Giles C of E Academy has capacity for 315 pupils and 337 on roll (107%), 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 St Giles C of E Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Giles C of E Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does St Giles C of E Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Giles C of E Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Giles C of E Academy?
- St Giles C of E Academy is part of ENHANCE ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Giles C of E Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 76% in 2022/23 and 78% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Giles C of E Academy rank locally?
- St Giles C of E Academy ranked 25th of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Giles C of E Academy's absence rate?
- St Giles C of E Academy's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Giles C of E Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Giles C of E 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 8 July 2026.