Ackton Pastures Primary Academy
College Grove, Whitwood, Castleford, WF10 5NS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- INSPIRE PARTNERSHIP MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Head of School
- Mr Callum Ivel
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 356
- Pupils on roll
- 356
- URN
- 144331
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01977802322
About this school
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy is a primary academy in Castleford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 356 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ackton Pastures Primary 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
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
- 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 | 43 | 45 | 45 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 58% | 64% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 2% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 63% | 69% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% | 73% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 65% | 64% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.80 | - | - |
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 Ackton Pastures Primary 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 | 58% | 59.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 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 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 353 |
| 2023/24 | 344 |
| 2024/25 | 352 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ackton Pastures Primary Academy compares
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy ranked 51st 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 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64% | 4.7% | 20.2% | 356 | — |
| Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy | 42% | 6.5% | 34.9% | 401 | 0.6 miles |
| Half Acres Primary Academy | 65% | 6.3% | 23.3% | 424 | 0.6 miles |
| Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy | — | — | — | 473 | 0.9 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford | 52% | 5% | 7.7% | 197 | 1.2 miles |
| Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery | — | 5.9% | 18.7% | 169 | 1.3 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
- 7 March 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report29 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 20.19%
- English as an additional language
- 6.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.74%
- Persistent absence
- 10.95%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Castleford
-
Half Acres Primary Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Castleford
-
Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Castleford
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford1.2 miles
Primary · Castleford
-
Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery1.3 miles
Primary · Castleford
Other schools in Castleford
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy ranks 4th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Castleford.
- 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
- Lady Elizabeth Hastings CofE Primary School Primary
- Oyster Park Primary Academy Primary
- Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Ackton Pastures Primary Academy teach?
- Ackton Pastures Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Castleford.
- Who is the head of school of Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
- The head of school of Ackton Pastures Primary Academy is Mr Callum Ivel, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ackton Pastures Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ackton Pastures Primary 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 Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
- Ackton Pastures Primary Academy has 356 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Ackton Pastures Primary Academy full?
- Ackton Pastures Primary Academy has capacity for 356 pupils and 356 on roll (100%), 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 Ackton Pastures Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Ackton Pastures Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Ackton Pastures Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Ackton Pastures Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Ackton Pastures Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Ackton Pastures Primary Academy is part of INSPIRE PARTNERSHIP MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Ackton Pastures Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% 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 Ackton Pastures Primary Academy compare with other schools in Wakefield?
- Ackton Pastures Primary Academy ranked 51st 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 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ackton Pastures Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Ackton Pastures Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ackton Pastures Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ackton Pastures Primary 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 10 July 2026.