Outwood Academy Hemsworth

Outwood Academy Hemsworth is a mixed 11–18 secondary school and part of the Outwood Grange Academies Trust. Inspectors found it has improved since its previous inspection and is now performing well across the judged areas, including sixth-form provision. Pupils and staff embrace learning, behaviour is calm and respectful, and pupils make strong progress. The school has high ambitions, a broad and carefully sequenced curriculum, effective reading support, and a strong personal development offer. Sixth-form students are positive ambassadors and receive good support for their next steps. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and trustees and leaders show a clear commitment to continued improvement. The main areas for improvement are precise and practical. In some lessons, staff do not consistently check whether pupils have understood key knowledge before moving on, which can leave gaps for some pupils. The school also needs to improve communication with families, particularly families of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), so that they clearly understand the support their children receive. Overall, the school is in a strong position, with a positive culture, effective leadership and clear priorities for further development.

Strengths

• Pupils and staff embrace learning and create a stimulating environment.
• The school has high ambitions for pupils and pupils thrive and make great progress.
• Sixth-form students act as fantastic ambassadors and support younger pupils.
• The extracurricular offer gives all pupils access to clubs, trips and residential experiences.
• Pupils are polite, respectful and behave well at social times and between lessons.
• The school is inclusive and recognises the worth of all pupils, including those with SEND.
• The curriculum is broad and carefully sequenced across subjects and key stages.
• Reading is valued, with effective support for early readers and dedicated reading time.
• Pupils with SEND have their needs identified and met well.
• Sixth-form students enjoy in-depth discussion and receive careful support for their next steps.
• Behaviour expectations are clear and attendance is improving while suspensions decrease.
• Personal development is strong and helps pupils stay safe and contribute positively.
• Trustees, academy council members and staff are committed to continued improvement.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some lessons, staff miss opportunities to check pupils’ understanding before moving on to new learning.
• Communication with families, particularly families of pupils with SEND, is not consistently effective.
• Some families do not feel they fully understand the strategies in place to support their children.

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 Outwood Academy Hemsworth attended 88.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 34.1% 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, 12.5% of pupils at Outwood Academy Hemsworth 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 Outwood Academy Hemsworth had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.8% 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, 10.9% of pupils at Outwood Academy Hemsworth were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 Outwood Academy Hemsworth received £8,093 and spent £8,332 for each of its 1,111 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,568,000 (£1,412 per pupil).

Across all 40 schools of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, income was £8,313 and spending £8,200 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

Outwood Academy Hemsworth is part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane Pontefract
• Outwood Primary Academy Newstead Green Wakefield
• Outwood Academy Shafton Barnsley
• Outwood Academy Carlton Barnsley
• Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange Barnsley
• Outwood Primary Academy Darfield Barnsley
• Outwood Academy Freeston Normanton
• Outwood Academy City Fields Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Park Hill Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands Doncaster

What is Outwood Academy Hemsworth's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Outwood Academy Hemsworth is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Outwood Academy Hemsworth last inspected by Ofsted?

Outwood Academy Hemsworth was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Outwood Academy Hemsworth have?

Outwood Academy Hemsworth has 1,101 pupils on roll.

What age range does Outwood Academy Hemsworth cover?

Outwood Academy Hemsworth for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Outwood Academy Hemsworth's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.5, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Outwood Academy Hemsworth?

Outwood Academy Hemsworth is at Wakefield Road, Pontefract, WF9 4AB.