Airedale Junior Academy
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Airedale Junior Academy is a sponsored academy in Castleford for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 385 pupils and room for 448. About 41 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 22 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 35% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Fryston Road, Airedale, 23, Castleford, WF10 3EP01977 556946airedalejuniorschool.co.ukMrs Kirsten McKechnie headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 19 April 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
79 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 79 | 116 | 109 | 88 | 105 | 110 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 62% | 37% | 44% | 50% | 44% | 53% | 65% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 4% | 6% | 5% | 7% | 2% | 9% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 104.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 | 104.8 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 104.0 | 100.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 | 100.0 | 102.0 | 104.6 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 103.0 | 99.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 71% | 63% | 61% | 60% | 57% | 56% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 75% | 49% | 69% | 68% | 58% | 67% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 71% | 62% | 61% | 74% | 78% | 74% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -1.6 | -1.7 | -1.5 | -4.2 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -0.7 | -1.5 | -2.1 | -3.0 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 47% | 21% | 32% | 38% | 28% | 42% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 76% | 48% | 52% | 59% | 58% | 61% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
102 places were empty (21% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 9% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Wakefield council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (43), emotional and mental health (35), Moderate learning difficulty (20), Physical disability (5), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), Specific learning difficulty (5).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 385 | 378 | 386 | 403 | 424 | 449 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 41% | 41% | 40% | 40% | 37% | 33% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 7% | 6% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 4% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 22% | 21% | 22% | 22% | 19% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 6.5% | 6.7% | 7.5% | 7.7% | 5.3% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.0% | 4.5% | 4.8% | 5.5% | 3.7% | 3.3% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 1.6% | 1.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 19.1% | 17.6% | 22.9% | 27.3% | 14.1% | 11.6% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 6.6 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 2.5 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airedale Infant Academy | Academy | 20 m | 206 | Good 2019 | 19 | Compare |
| Townville Academy | Academy | 20 m | 111 | Requires improvement 2023 | 0 | Compare |
| Fairburn View Primary School, Castleford | Council | 590 m | 471 | Good 2023 | 8 | Compare |
| Oyster Park Primary Academy | Academy | 950 m | 349 | Report card 2026 | 4 | Compare |
| Glasshoughton Infant Academy | Academy | 0.9 miles | 222 | Good 2023 | 71 | Compare |
| Castleford Park Junior Academy | Academy | 1.1 miles | 412 | Good 2024 | 42 | Compare |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford | Academy | 1.2 miles | 197 | No overall grade 2024 | 32 | Compare |
| Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery | Council | 1.3 miles | 169 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Airedale Junior Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Airedale Junior Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gooseacre Primary Academy | Academy | 11.8 miles | 378 | No overall grade 2025 | 38 | Compare |
| Athersley South Primary School | Academy | 11.9 miles | 306 | Not inspected | 74 | Compare |
| Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange | Academy | 12.3 miles | 394 | Good 2024 | 73 | Compare |
| Highgate Primary Academy | Academy | 13.0 miles | 327 | Good 2022 | 39 | Compare |
| Windhill Primary School | Council | 15.3 miles | 302 | Good 2022 | 34 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 22 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 22% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 14 to 35. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 25% | below | -0.19 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 79 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.01 | Ofsted grade, 3.4 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.13 | DfE progress measure; 79 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.09 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.09 | 2024/25; 399 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.06 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 79 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Airedale Junior Academy a good school?
The figures are weak. Airedale Junior Academy scores 22 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 35% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 14 to 35, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.
What is Airedale Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Airedale Junior Academy good at its last full inspection on 19 April 2023.
How good are Airedale Junior Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 62% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 4% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Airedale Junior Academy have?
385 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 448 places, so it is 86% full.
Is Airedale Junior Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 102 places were empty in 2024/25 (21% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Airedale Junior Academy?
Pupils were in school 93.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Airedale Junior Academy?
The average class had 27.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 15% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Fryston Road, Airedale, 23, Castleford, WF10 3EP
- Telephone
- 01977 556946
- Website
- www.airedalejuniorschool.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kirsten McKechnie
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 7-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Castleford Academy Trust (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Ward
- Airedale and Ferry Fryston
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2015 (new provision)
- URN
- 141409 · LAESTAB 3842021 · UKPRN 10047545
- Formerly
- Airedale Junior School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.