Airedale Academy
Secondary · Academy converter · Ages 11–18 · Castleford, Wakefield
Airedale Academy is a secondary school in Castleford, Wakefield for ages 11–18 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Requires improvement, from the inspection on 30 January 2024.
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Catchment area for Airedale Academy
- The council’s catchment or priority area for this school, on the map
- Earlier years of applications and offers
- Earlier exam results, 2022/23 to 2023/24
- Where pupils go after they leave
- Crime, sold prices and rents, broadband and transport around the school
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Key facts
- Address
- Crewe Road, Airedale, Castleford, WF10 3JU
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Wakefield
- Pupils on roll
- 1,008 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 51.8% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Requires improvement Inspected 30 January 2024
Strengths
- “The sixth form is small but valued by the students.”
- “Pupils across the school benefit from well-planned visits to extend their experience of the wider world.”
- “The school provides a wide range of enrichment activities that many pupils enjoy.”
To improve
- “However, curriculum planning and teaching do not consistently support all pupils to remember and apply knowledge securely over time.”
- “As a result, many pupils, including some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve as well as they could at GCSE level.”
- “However, a minority of pupils do not behave as well as they should.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 20 March 2024 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 25% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 33.8 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 144 first-preference applications, 155 offers in total, 144 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Wakefield.
- Castleford Academy 1.3 mi Not judged
- The King's School 2.5 mi Good
- St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy 2.6 mi No Ofsted grade
- De Lacy Academy 3.1 mi Outstanding
- Carleton High School 3.1 mi Improved significantly
- The Featherstone Academy 3.4 mi School remains Good
- Outwood Academy Freeston 4.5 mi Not judged
- Crofton Academy 6.6 mi Good