Ark Northfield Primary School
Northfield Lane, South Kirkby, Pontefract, WF9 3LY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ARK SCHOOLS
- Headteacher
- Mr Joe Ayre
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- ARK Schools
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Normanton and Hemsworth
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 348
- URN
- 150309
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01977651291
About this school
Ark Northfield Primary School is a primary academy in Pontefract. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 348 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ark Northfield 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
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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
This inspection took place when the school was registered as Northfield Primary School: With Communication Resource (URN 130859).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 48 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 83% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 27% |
| Expected standard in reading | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 |
Trends over time
How Ark Northfield 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 371 |
| 2024/25 | 355 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ark Northfield Primary School compares
Ark Northfield Primary School ranked 17th of 97 primary schools in Wakefield for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 91% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 83% | 3.7% | 25.8% | 348 | — |
| South Kirkby Academy | 32% | 6.3% | 49% | 186 | 0.7 miles |
| South Kirkby Common Road Infant and Nursery School | — | 7.5% | 37.9% | 208 | 0.7 miles |
| Moorthorpe Primary School With Inclusion Resource | 35% | 5.7% | 45.5% | 216 | 0.7 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Moorthorpe | 55% | 5.5% | 32.3% | 204 | 0.8 miles |
| South Elmsall Carlton Junior and Infant School | 51% | 6.9% | 36.6% | 454 | 1.1 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)
- 25.79%
- English as an additional language
- 3.1%
- Overall absence
- 3.67%
- Persistent absence
- 4.27%
Location
Nearby schools
-
South Kirkby Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
South Kirkby Common Road Infant and Nursery School0.7 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Moorthorpe Primary School With Inclusion Resource0.7 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Moorthorpe0.8 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
South Elmsall Carlton Junior and Infant School1.1 miles
Primary · Pontefract
Other schools in Pontefract
Ark Northfield Primary School ranks 5th 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
- Ark Carleton Park Primary School Primary
- Ark De Lacy Primary School Primary
- Ark Halfpenny Lane Primary School Primary
- Ark Larks Hill Primary School Primary
- Ark Orchard Head Primary School Primary
- Ark The Rookeries Carleton Primary School Primary
- Ash Grove Primary Academy Primary
- Badsworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School Primary
- Cherry Tree Academy Primary
- Darrington Church of England Primary School Primary
Recorded changes at this school
- School name changed from Northfield Primary School to Ark Northfield Primary School recorded 22 Sep 2026
Common questions
- What ages does Ark Northfield Primary School teach?
- Ark Northfield Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Pontefract.
- Who is the headteacher of Ark Northfield Primary School?
- The headteacher of Ark Northfield Primary School is Mr Joe Ayre, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ark Northfield Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ark Northfield 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 Ark Northfield Primary School?
- Ark Northfield Primary School has 348 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Ark Northfield Primary School full?
- Ark Northfield Primary School has capacity for 315 pupils and 348 on roll (110%), 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 Ark Northfield Primary School a faith school?
- No. Ark Northfield Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Ark Northfield Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Ark Northfield Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Ark Northfield Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Ark Northfield Primary School is part of ARK SCHOOLS. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Ark Northfield Primary School have?
- The schools register lists Ark Northfield Primary School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How does Ark Northfield Primary School compare with other schools in Wakefield?
- Ark Northfield Primary School ranked 17th of 97 primary schools in Wakefield for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 91% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Ark Northfield Primary School's absence rate?
- Ark Northfield Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Ark Northfield Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Ark Northfield 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 22 September 2026.