Airedale Academy

Type Secondary / Academy converter
Age Range 11-18
Religion Does not apply
Address Crewe Road
Airedale
Castleford
West Yorkshire
WF10 3JU
Phone 01977664555
Reference Number 136613

Airedale Academy has been marked as requiring improvement across several key areas, including the quality of education, behavior, personal development, leadership, and management. The school, which is part of the Northern Ambition Academies Trust, is currently under the leadership of interim principal Dan Neal and is undergoing changes aimed at enhancing educational delivery. While most pupils exhibit good behavior, a minority disrupt lessons, and there are ongoing issues with the consistency of behavior management among staff. Significant attention is needed to address the identified gaps in the curriculum and improve teaching methodologies.

General Makeup

Number of pupils 1063
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 48.64%
Girls: 51.36%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 49.6%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 7.9%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 24.2

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
7 115 100 215
8 110 114 224
9 86 114 200
10 94 112 206
11 101 95 196
12 Unknown Unknown Unknown
13 11 11 22

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 84.3%
White, Other 6.1%
African 3.6%
Unclassified 1%
Mixed, Other 1%
White & Black (African) 0.6%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.5%
White & Asian 0.4%
Caribbean 0.4%
Chinese 0.2%
Indian 0.2%

Overall Ofsted Rating Requires Improvement
 >  Quality of education Requires Improvement
  >  Behaviour & Attitude Requires Improvement
  >  Personal Development Requires Improvement
  >  Leadership & Management Requires Improvement
  >  Sixth Form Provision Requires Improvement
Last Report Date 30 Jan 2024
Date Report
30 Jan 2024 School inspection:
29 Nov 2022 School inspection
29 Sep 2020 Monitoring visit
26 Sep 2017 Full inspection:
12 Nov 2013 Full inspection:
14 Feb 2012 Academy conversion letter
09 Jan 2012 Interim assessment
03 Mar 2011 Curriculum and development visit
Previously as Airedale High School
03 Mar 2011 Curriculum and development visit
17 Sep 2008 Full inspection:
17 Sep 2008 Full inspection:
12 Dec 2006 Monitoring visit
12 Dec 2006 Monitoring visit
30 Nov 2005 Full inspection:
30 Nov 2005 Full inspection:
11 Oct 1999 Full inspection
11 Oct 1999 Full inspection

Strengths

  • The school has a broad range of subjects for pupils to study.
  • Pupils benefit from well-planned visits and a variety of enrichment activities.
  • The sixth form is appreciated by students, offering vocational courses tailored to their needs.

Areas for Improvement

  • Curriculum planning and teaching do not consistently support knowledge retention.
  • Assessment practices do not adequately check pupils' understanding.
  • Behavior management is inconsistent, leading to disruptions in learning.
  • Personal development teaching lacks consistency, impacting pupils' understanding.

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
33.8

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 25.1%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 39.5%

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

Sample

Unlock

GCSE Results

Sample

Unlock
Unlock Premium

Get percentile rankings, historic result charts, admissions data, and post-GCSE destinations for every school.

£9.99 one-off payment. Lifetime access, no subscription.

Unlock for £9.99

2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 40 13
Third Preference 18 0
From another Local Authority 3 2

Previous Years

Sample

Unlock

Destinations after GCSE's

Staying in Education
 >  Further Education
 >  School Sixth Form
 >  Sixth Form College
 >  Other Education
Apprenticeships
Employment
Not in education or employment
Unknown

Name Distance
Airedale Junior Academy
Fryston Road, Airedale, 23, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 3EP
0.23 miles
Airedale Infant Academy
Poplar Avenue, Airedale, Airedale Junior School, Castleford, WF10 3QJ
0.24 miles
Townville Academy
Poplar Avenue, Townville, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 3QJ
0.24 miles
Fairburn View Primary School, Castleford
Stansfield Drive, Castleford, WF10 3DB
0.38 miles
Oyster Park Primary Academy
Watling Road, Ferry Fryston, Oyster Park Primary Academy, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 3SN
0.47 miles
Glasshoughton Infant Academy
Newfield Avenue, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4BH
1.14 miles
Orchard Head Junior and Infant and Nursery School
Orchard Head Lane, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 2NJ
1.23 miles
Castleford Park Junior Academy
Medley Street, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4BB
1.29 miles
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford
Pontefract Road, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4JB
1.44 miles
Willow Green Academy
Hampden Close, Knottingley, WF11 8PT
1.48 miles
Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery
Francis Street, Castleford, WF10 1HF
1.51 miles
Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy
Ashton Road, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 5AX
1.59 miles
Brotherton and Byram Community Primary Academy
Low Street, Brotherton, Knottingley, West Yorkshire, WF11 9HQ
1.81 miles
St Giles C of E Academy
St Giles C of E Academy, Skinner Lane, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 1HG
1.85 miles
Half Acres Primary Academy
Temple Street, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 5RE
1.93 miles
Fairburn Community Primary School
Great North Road, Fairburn, Knottingley, West Yorkshire, WF11 9JY
2.01 miles
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract
Newgate, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 4AA
2.1 miles
Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Cobblers Lane, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 2HN
2.16 miles
Harewood Centre Nursery School
Harewood Avenue, Pontefract, WF8 2ER
2.17 miles
Cherry Tree Academy
Cobblers Lane, Pontefract, WF8 2HN
2.22 miles
Name Distance
Castleford Academy
Ferrybridge Road, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4JQ
1.29 miles
Balance Alternative Provision
The White Building, Lock Hill, Ferrybridge, Knottingley, West Yorkshire, WF11 8NE
1.89 miles
New College Pontefract
Park Lane, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 4QR
1.98 miles
The King's School
Mill Hill Lane, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 4JF
2.5 miles
The Grange School
Methley Rd, Castleford, WF10 1PN
2.54 miles
High Well School
Rookhill Road, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 2DD
2.56 miles
St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy
Cutsyke Road, Featherstone, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF7 6BD
2.64 miles
De Lacy Academy
Middle Lane, Knottingley, West Yorkshire, WF11 0BZ
3.09 miles
Carleton High School
Green Lane, Carleton, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 3NW
3.1 miles
The Featherstone Academy
Pontefract Road, Featherstone, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF7 5AJ
3.38 miles
Brigshaw High School
Brigshaw Lane, Allerton Bywater, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 2HR
3.76 miles
Outwood Academy Freeston
Favell Avenue, Normanton, WF6 1HZ
4.48 miles
Filters

Basics

Age Range

Special Schools

Independent Schools

Faith Schools

Key Stage 2 Attainment

Students Meeting expected standard

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

Students Meeting higher standard

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

GCSE Attainment

Attainment 8 score percentile

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99

Students getting 5 or more GCSE's at grade 9-4 (A-C)

Unlock Premium to filter by results - £9.99 one-off, lifetime access.

Unlock for £9.99
Bootstrap