Airedale Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,008 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.8
Academy converter
Minsthorpe Community College
- Pupils on roll
- 1,609of 1,755 places
- Free school meals
- 34.1%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 250
- Ofsted
- School remains Good, 8 November 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Minsthorpe Community College, A Specialist Science College (URN 108282, until 1 August 2011).
What the data says
Of the 250 pupils who finished Year 11 at Minsthorpe Community College in 2023, 26% stayed on in Minsthorpe Community College’s own sixth form (Wakefield average 12%), 40% went to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 95 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 28% went to university (Wakefield 35%, England 37%), and 14% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
A level grades average D+, well below the England average of B-; 0% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Psychology, English Literature and Photography.
Design and Technology is unusually popular at GCSE: 31% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
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.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Minsthorpe Community College | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 250 | 3,844 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 91% | 89% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 79% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 26% | 12% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 12% | 28% | 13% |
| — further education college | 40% | 41% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 6% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 6% | 8% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 4% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Minsthorpe Community College | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 95 | 3,906 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 78% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 28% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 14% | 14% | 19% |
| Further education | 2% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 37% | 30% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 20% | 17% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Minsthorpe Community College | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.3 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 36% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 8% | 33% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.39 | 3.95 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 31% | 28% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 32.0 | 33.4 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.4 | 49.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 11% | 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 | 254 | 100% | 89% | 15% | 20% | 63% |
| English Literature | 249 | 100% | 86% | 19% | 21% | 70% |
| Mathematics | 249 | 100% | 88% | 14% | 22% | 56% |
| Combined Science | 189 | 76% | 65% | 3% | 9% | 41% |
| Geography | 139 | 56% | 41% | 11% | 25% | 52% |
| History | 86 | 34% | 41% | 16% | 26% | 50% |
| Design and Technology | 78 | 31% | 11% | 10% | 23% | 58% |
| Biology | 58 | 23% | 23% | 14% | 45% | 83% |
| Physics | 51 | 20% | 23% | 29% | 46% | 92% |
| Chemistry | 50 | 20% | 23% | 24% | 47% | 92% |
| Computer Science | 44 | 18% | 13% | 41% | 30% | 89% |
| French | 36 | 14% | 18% | 33% | 29% | 72% |
| Physical Education | 26 | 10% | 11% | 15% | 24% | 100% |
| Religious Studies | 25 | 10% | 31% | 8% | 32% | 60% |
| Polish | 9 | 4% | 1% | 89% | 84% | 89% |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 81 | 100% | — |
| Art and Design | 64 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 61 | 100% | — |
| Music performance: Group | 60 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 56 | 100% | — |
| Personal Health | 45 | 100% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 22 | 76% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Minsthorpe Community College | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 169 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 29 | 1,538 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D+ | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 24.49 | 35.78 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C- | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 0% | 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 | 12 | 41% | 23% |
| English Literature | 7 | 24% | 11% |
| Photography | 6 | 21% | 3% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Mathematics | — | — | 31% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 10 | 34% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 9 | 31% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 7 | 24% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | 6 | 21% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Psychology | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Psychology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 2 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Nutrition / Diet | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
Where Minsthorpe Community College 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
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79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 47.5
Castleford Academy
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81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.5
Crofton Academy
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84% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.5
De Lacy Academy
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70% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.6
Horbury Academy
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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.