St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School and Sixth Form is performing at a strong standard overall, demonstrating effective leadership and a commitment to fostering pupils' personal development. The school's safeguarding practices are robust, ensuring that pupils feel safe and supported. The curriculum is well-designed and incorporates a variety of extracurricular activities that enhance students' learning and engagement, promoting positive contributions to the community. The sixth form is particularly noted for its tailored support, helping students achieve their aspirations for higher education or employment.

Strengths

• Strong personal development programme integrated throughout the school
• Robust safeguarding measures ensuring pupil safety
• Diverse extracurricular activities fostering skills and interests
• Positive pupil behaviour and engagement in learning
• Effective support for students in the sixth form and career guidance
• Inclusion at the core of the school's ethos

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in teachers' assessments affecting accuracy in learning checks
• Variable application of support strategies for pupils with additional needs

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 St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy attended 92.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.3% 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, 13.9% of pupils at St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy had 18.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.7% 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, 14.8% of pupils at St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 8 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 St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy received £7,876 and spent £7,756 for each of its 1,482 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £4,242,000 (£2,863 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, income was £6,890 and spending £7,055 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 Pontefract · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy is part of The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract Pontefract
• St. John the Baptist Catholic Primary School Normanton
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford Castleford
• Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Pontefract
• St Austin's Catholic Primary School Wakefield
• St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy Wakefield
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Pontefract
• St Benedict's Catholic Primary School Leeds
• English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Wakefield
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Moorthorpe Pontefract

What is St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy have?

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy has 1,470 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy cover?

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.1, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy?

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy is at Cutsyke Road, Featherstone, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF7 6BD.