School Chooser

Featherstone Purston Infant School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil203 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubPontefractWakefield
School Chooser Score
16
Below
similar schools
Likely range 7 to 37
Out of 100. Better than 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#13,474 of 16,041 in England#88 in WakefieldHow it is worked out
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2023
Attendance92.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families19%A bit fewer than most schools
PlacesFull203 pupils, 180 places
Pupils per teacher19.9School workforce census
Pupils on roll203Census January 2026

Featherstone Purston Infant School is a council school in Pontefract for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 203 pupils, 23 more than it has places for. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 16 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Nunns Lane, Featherstone, Pontefract, WF7 5HF01977 704344purstoninfants.co.ukMr PHIL BARNETT acting headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 2 February 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places150 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
83% full

30 places were empty (17% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 12% 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.

Pupils on roll203Census January 2026
Places180113% full
Pupils from low-income families15%19% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English7%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support7%14 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%12 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.47 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)19%£44,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls107 / 96
White British pupils90%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (19), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Physical disability (1), Severe learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll203203209206211217
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals15%23%26%24%25%20%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language7%7%4%7%7%7%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–14%11%12%14%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–3%5%4%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school22.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.6%7.4%8.3%8.6%4.6%4.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.9%4.6%5.4%5.5%3.3%3.1%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.7%2.7%2.9%3.1%1.3%1.8%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence22.5%25.7%26.0%31.1%7.4%10.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.50.00.00.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.1full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher19.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,314
Teachers who left in the year22%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.02024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,507England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£7,355England £7,697. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,732England £3,480
Money in reserve5%Not much put by: £59k, £333 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£27kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,507spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m47112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate121 per 1,000 people33% higher than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Wakefield
Nearest bus stop180 mFeatherstone Station Lane, 16 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior SchoolChurch of England350 m314Requires improvement 20242Compare
Featherstone Girnhill Infant SchoolAcademy450 m103Good 202416Compare
Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant SchoolCouncil0.9 miles338Good 202315Compare
Featherstone All Saints CofE AcademyAcademy1.5 miles227Not inspected84Compare
Larks Hill Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles203No overall grade 2025100Compare
Halfpenny Lane Junior Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy1.7 miles434No overall grade 2025100Compare
Carleton Park Junior and Infant SchoolAcademy1.9 miles208No overall grade 202499Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School PontefractAcademy2.0 miles222Good 202464Compare
Primary schools in WakefieldPrimary schools in PontefractBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Featherstone Purston Infant School 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.

Beats8%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 16 is 38 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 54 · highest 97100

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 Featherstone Purston Infant School, 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.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ryhill Junior, Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil4.3 miles225Good 202365Compare
The Vale Primary AcademyAcademy4.6 miles218No overall grade 202487Compare
Our Lady and St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic11.9 miles225Good 202473Compare
Holy Spirit Catholic Primary AcademyAcademy13.2 miles211Good 202246Compare
Kilnhurst Primary SchoolAcademy14.2 miles170Good 202254Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 16 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 16% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 7 to 37. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.6 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.23
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.30
2024/25; 111 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
What parents say0%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 Featherstone Purston Infant School a good school?

The figures are weak. Featherstone Purston Infant School scores 16 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 7 to 37, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Featherstone Purston Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Featherstone Purston Infant School good at its last full inspection on 2 February 2023.

How many pupils does Featherstone Purston Infant School have?

203 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 113% full.

Is Featherstone Purston Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 30 places were empty in 2024/25 (17% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Featherstone Purston Infant School?

Pupils were in school 92.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Featherstone Purston Infant School?

The average class had 25.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Featherstone Purston Infant School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Nunns Lane, Featherstone, Pontefract, WF7 5HF
Telephone
01977 704344
Website
www.purstoninfants.co.uk
Acting Headteacher
Mr PHIL BARNETT
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Wakefield
Ward
Featherstone
Constituency
Normanton and Hemsworth
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
108200 · LAESTAB 3842133 · UKPRN 10070889
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from