The Featherstone Academy

Wakefield · WF7 5AJ

General information Secondary School · 11-16 years Who goes here 556 pupils, 40.8% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 21.6% on SEN support Behaviour 9.6% absence rate Staff 27.5% turnover Financials £7,998 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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The Featherstone Academy

General Information

Address: Pontefract Road, Pontefract, WF7 5AJ – View on map
Phone: 01977698000
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Julia McCluskey
Age range: 11-16 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 96 families put it first for 98 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 8 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: None
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

556 pupils out of 600 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 227
% eligible for free school meals: 40.8%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (less mixed than the Wakefield average)
English as an additional language: 4% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 27.5% a year (Wakefield 16.9%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 40% moved to another school, 60% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Wakefield: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 50 (2.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 44 (2.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 46 (2.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Wakefield, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 9.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 24.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

Resourced provision for AutismSpeech, language and communication 20 places · 19 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 21.6%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 10.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Moderate learning difficulty: 30 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 30 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 26 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 14 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 11 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 30 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 9 pupils
Physical disability: 5 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2022 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 41.6
Compared with the area: 4.2 points below the Wakefield average (45.8)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (+0.7 points against an expected 40.9)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 67% (Wakefield 66%, England 65%) Improving
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolWakefield averageEngland↘ Falling Down 2.4 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 4.2 points below the Wakefield average (45.8).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

14th of 18 secondary schools in Wakefield for Attainment 8

#12De Lacy Academy45.6
#13Outwood Academy Freeston44.6
#14The Featherstone Academy41.6
#15Minsthorpe Community College41.3
#16Outwood Academy Hemsworth41.0

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Ossett Academy and Sixth Form College51.0
#2The King's School49.9
#3Horbury Academy48.7
#4Trinity Academy Cathedral48.7
#5Castleford Academy48.5
#6Carleton High School47.5
#7Outwood Grange Academy47.2
#8Kettlethorpe High School46.9
#9St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy46.7
#10Crofton Academy46.5
#11St Thomas 46.3
#12De Lacy Academy45.6
#13Outwood Academy Freeston44.6
#14The Featherstone Academy41.6
#15Minsthorpe Community College41.3
#16Outwood Academy Hemsworth41.0
#17Outwood Academy City Fields38.8
#18Airedale Academy33.8

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 93.0%
Went into further education: 86.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
French Language
History
Science Double Award
Sports Studies
Food Technology
Biology
Physics (General)
Chemistry (General)
Media Studies
Business Studies
Geography
Art & Design
Computer Science
Speech & Drama
Portuguese

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

10th of 12 secondary schools in Wakefield for Ofsted rating

#8Outwood Grange AcademyGood
#9St Thomas Good
#10The Featherstone AcademyGood
#11The King's SchoolGood
#12Airedale AcademyRequires improvement

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1De Lacy AcademyOutstanding
#2Trinity Academy CathedralOutstanding
#3Carleton High SchoolGood
#4Crofton AcademyGood
#5Kettlethorpe High SchoolGood
#6Minsthorpe Community CollegeGood
#7Outwood Academy City FieldsGood
#8Outwood Grange AcademyGood
#9St Thomas Good
#10The Featherstone AcademyGood
#11The King's SchoolGood
#12Airedale AcademyRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,998 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

3rd of 17 secondary schools in Wakefield for spending per pupil

#1Minsthorpe Community College£8,513
#2Outwood Academy Hemsworth£8,011
#3The Featherstone Academy£7,998
#4Trinity Academy Cathedral£7,964
#5Castleford Academy£7,956

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Minsthorpe Community College£8,513
#2Outwood Academy Hemsworth£8,011
#3The Featherstone Academy£7,998
#4Trinity Academy Cathedral£7,964
#5Castleford Academy£7,956
#6St Thomas £7,687
#7Outwood Academy City Fields£7,565
#8Crofton Academy£7,519
#9Horbury Academy£7,429
#10Outwood Academy Freeston£7,396
#11De Lacy Academy£7,390
#12St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy£7,253
#13Kettlethorpe High School£7,223
#14Ossett Academy and Sixth Form College£6,850
#15Carleton High School£6,787
#16Outwood Grange Academy£6,575
#17The King's School£6,556

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Wakefield: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered