Castleford Academy

Castleford Academy is a high-achieving secondary school where leaders have high ambitions for pupils and most pupils achieve highly across a broad curriculum. Pupils are welcoming, studious and feel safe; behaviour is generally calm and bullying is rare. The school has a strong focus on reading, identifies and supports pupils with SEND swiftly, including through its specialist resource base for deaf pupils, and disadvantaged pupils benefit from effective teaching and support. Personal development is a particular strength, with an exemplary programme, extensive enrichment and careers education woven through the curriculum. The quality of education is strong overall, but inspectors found some inconsistency in how well teachers check understanding and address misconceptions, which can leave some pupils without the knowledge they need for later learning. The proportion of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate has fallen and remains below the national average. Behaviour expectations are usually applied consistently, though some pupils report variation in a few lessons, and the impact of recent work to improve attendance for a small number of pupils is not yet clear. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an academy converter within Castleford Academy Trust, and leaders are described as determined to improve pupils’ life chances, supported by effective governance and a strong safeguarding culture.

Strengths

• High ambitions and expectations for pupils
• Pupils achieve highly in most subjects and make excellent progress through the curriculum
• Welcoming and inclusive provision, including for pupils with SEND
• Mature pupils with studious attitudes and positive relationships with staff
• Pupils feel safe and bullying is rare
• Broad and ambitious curriculum based on educational research
• Excellent teacher subject knowledge in most lessons
• Strong support for disadvantaged pupils
• Swift identification and precise support for pupils with SEND, including deaf pupils
• Relentless focus on reading with tailored support for weaker readers
• Exemplary personal development programme
• Wide range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities
• Careers programme woven into the curriculum
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Leaders support other schools and are considerate of staff workload
• Trustees and governors provide timely and supportive challenge

Areas for Improvement

• Some work is not clearly understood by pupils
• Misconceptions are not always addressed
• Checks of pupils’ understanding are not consistently effective
• English Baccalaureate entry numbers have reduced and remain below the national average
• Behaviour policy application is not consistently experienced in some lessons
• Impact of attendance strategies is not yet evident

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Castleford Academy attended 91.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 7.8% of pupils at Castleford Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 6 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Castleford Academy had 17.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 14.9% of pupils at Castleford Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 19 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Castleford Academy received £8,357 and spent £8,572 for each of its 1,478 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,448,000 (£1,656 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Castleford Academy Trust, income was £6,619 and spending £6,965 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Castleford · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Castleford Academy is part of Castleford Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Castleford Park Junior Academy Castleford
• Glasshoughton Infant Academy Castleford
• Airedale Infant Academy Castleford
• Airedale Junior Academy Castleford
• Airedale Academy Castleford
• Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy Castleford
• Oyster Park Primary Academy Castleford
• Crofton Academy Wakefield

What is Castleford Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castleford Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Castleford Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Castleford Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Castleford Academy have?

Castleford Academy has 1,480 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castleford Academy cover?

Castleford Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Castleford Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.8, and 48% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Castleford Academy?

Castleford Academy is at Ferrybridge Road, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 4JQ.