Airedale Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,008 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.8
Other independent school · independent
Ackworth School
- Pupils on roll
- 429of 589 places
- Free school meals
- —
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 56
- Ofsted
- Not covered by Ofsted school inspections
What the data says
The Department for Education has not published where Ackworth School’s Year 11 leavers went next (destination measures are not published for independent schools), so this page relies on the school’s results and subjects.
Physical Education is unusually popular at GCSE: 46% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
A level grades average C-, well below the England average of B-. The largest A level subjects are Psychology, Mathematics and Biology.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Wakefield and England.
The Department for Education has not published destination figures for this school (new school, small cohort or not a state-funded school).
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
No published destinations for sixth-form leavers yet.
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Ackworth School | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 33.9 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 0% | 33% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.65 | 3.95 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | — | 28% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | — | 33.4 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | — | 49.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | — | 12% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 52 | 93% | 89% | 23% | 20% | 73% |
| English Literature | 40 | 71% | 86% | 30% | 21% | 90% |
| Combined Science | 32 | 57% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 72% |
| Physical Education | 26 | 46% | 11% | 12% | 24% | 77% |
| Geography | 25 | 45% | 41% | 36% | 25% | 80% |
| Chemistry | 18 | 32% | 23% | 33% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 18 | 32% | 23% | 33% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 18 | 32% | 23% | 33% | 46% | 100% |
| Design and Technology | 12 | 21% | 11% | 17% | 23% | 92% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 12 | 21% | 8% | 42% | 21% | 75% |
| Computer Science | 11 | 20% | 13% | 9% | 30% | 55% |
| Fine Art | 11 | 20% | 9% | 55% | 28% | 100% |
| History | 9 | 16% | 41% | 56% | 26% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 9 | 16% | 31% | 44% | 32% | 78% |
| Music | 7 | 13% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 86% |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Ackworth School | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 100 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 35 | 1,538 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C- | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 28.21 | 35.78 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 12% | 14% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 8 | 23% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 7 | 20% | 31% |
| Biology | 6 | 17% | 20% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Economics | — | — | 13% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Music | — | — | 0% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Business Studies | — | — | 13% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
Where Ackworth School is
Other secondary schools in Wakefield are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from Wakefield’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in Wakefield
Carleton High School
Academy converter · 1,026 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.5
Castleford Academy
Academy converter · 1,480 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.5
Crofton Academy
Academy converter · 1,045 pupils
84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.5
De Lacy Academy
Academy converter · 853 pupils
70% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.6
Horbury Academy
Academy converter · 1,070 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.7
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.