Airedale Junior Academy
Fryston Road, Airedale, Castleford, WF10 3EP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- CASTLEFORD ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kirsten McKechnie
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Castleford Academy
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 448
- Pupils on roll
- 385
- URN
- 141409
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01977556946
About this school
Airedale Junior Academy is a primary academy in Castleford. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 385 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Airedale Junior Academy, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 19 April 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 109 | 116 | 79 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 37% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 4% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 61% | 63% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 69% | 49% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 59% | 43% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 100.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 Airedale Junior 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 | 44% | 59.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 37% | 62.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 63.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 403 |
| 2023/24 | 386 |
| 2024/25 | 378 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Airedale Junior Academy compares
Airedale Junior Academy ranked 55th of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 32% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 6.5% | 41% | 385 | — |
| Townville Academy | — | 7.6% | 39% | 111 | 0.0 miles |
| Airedale Infant Academy | — | 7.2% | 27.8% | 206 | 0.0 miles |
| Fairburn View Primary School, Castleford | 30% | 8.8% | 55.5% | 471 | 0.4 miles |
| Oyster Park Primary Academy | 43% | 7.7% | 53.6% | 349 | 0.6 miles |
| Glasshoughton Infant Academy | — | 3.9% | 8.4% | 222 | 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)
- 41.01%
- English as an additional language
- 6.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.48%
- Persistent absence
- 19.05%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Townville Academy0.0 miles
Primary · Castleford
-
Airedale Infant Academy0.0 miles
Primary · Castleford
-
Fairburn View Primary School, Castleford0.4 miles
Primary · Castleford
-
Oyster Park Primary Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Castleford
-
Glasshoughton Infant Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Castleford
Other schools in Castleford
Airedale Junior Academy ranks 5th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Castleford.
- Ackton Pastures Primary Academy Primary
- Airedale Infant 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
- Lady Elizabeth Hastings CofE Primary School Primary
- Oyster Park Primary Academy Primary
- Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Airedale Junior Academy teach?
- Airedale Junior Academy teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Castleford.
- Who is the headteacher of Airedale Junior Academy?
- The headteacher of Airedale Junior Academy is Mrs Kirsten McKechnie, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Airedale Junior Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Airedale Junior 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 Junior Academy?
- Airedale Junior Academy has 385 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is Airedale Junior Academy full?
- Airedale Junior Academy has capacity for 448 pupils and 385 on roll (86%), 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 Junior Academy a faith school?
- No. Airedale Junior Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Airedale Junior Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Airedale Junior Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Is Airedale Junior Academy part of an academy trust?
- Airedale Junior 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 Junior Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 44% in 2022/23 and 62% 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 Junior Academy compare with other schools in Wakefield?
- Airedale Junior Academy ranked 55th of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 32% 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 Junior Academy's absence rate?
- Airedale Junior Academy's overall absence rate is 6.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Airedale Junior Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Airedale Junior 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.