High Well School
High Well School is a council special school in Pontefract for boys and girls aged 9 to 16. It has 104 pupils and room for 110. About 80 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Rookhill Road, Pontefract, WF8 2DD01924 572100highwellschool.org.ukMr Mark Richardson head teacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 23 September 2022 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
GCSE results, summer 2025
15 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 15 | 23 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 15 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 6.2 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 45.3 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.82 | – | -2.47 | -2.19 | -3.28 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 45% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 10% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.16 | 0.30 | 0.65 | 0.20 | 0.18 | 0.26 | 3.99 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 35% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | – | 2.2 | – | – | 2.6 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | – | 5.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 3.1 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.0 | – | – |
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
2 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 2 | 7 | 7 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | 0% | 65% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | 0% | 9% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | – | 86.0 | – | 104.8 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | – | 83.0 | – | 104.6 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | – | 89.0 | – | 104.0 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | – | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | – | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | – | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -20.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -19.4 | – | – |
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.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Wakefield with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (78), Autistic spectrum disorder (23), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Specific learning difficulty (1), language and communications needs (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 104 | 103 | 106 | 97 | 80 | 61 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 80% | 77% | 72% | 66% | 65% | 71% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 54.1% 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 | 45.9% | 43.9% | 34.5% | 32.6% | 37.2% | 35.3% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 25.7% | 27.5% | 25.0% | 24.8% | 31.6% | 18.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 20.2% | 16.5% | 9.4% | 7.8% | 5.7% | 17.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 79.3% | 78.2% | 74.3% | 71.6% | 75.7% | 63.3% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 163.1 | 92.5 | 63.9 | 123.8 | 100.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 20 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 55% | 79% | 60% | 53% |
| Education | 55% | 57% | 60% | 47% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5% |
| Work | 0% | 21% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 15% | 0% | 40% | 42% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Lacy Primary School | Academy | 270 m | 342 | Outstanding 2024 | 95 | Compare |
| Harewood Centre Nursery School | Local authority nursery school | 660 m | 52 | Good 2022 | – | Compare |
| Cherry Tree Academy | Academy | 680 m | 233 | Requires improvement 2024 | 4 | Compare |
| Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | Academy | 770 m | 199 | Good 2022 | 7 | Compare |
| The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant School | Academy | 930 m | 330 | Good 2023 | 95 | Compare |
| Carleton High School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 1,026 | Not inspected | 59 | Compare |
| Carleton Park Junior and Infant School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 208 | No overall grade 2024 | 99 | Compare |
| St Giles C of E Academy | Academy | 1.0 miles | 337 | Not inspected | 73 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is High Well School a good school?
High Well School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in September 2022.
What is High Well School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated High Well School good at its last full inspection on 23 September 2022.
How good are High Well School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 1.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does High Well School have?
104 pupils aged 9 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 110 places, so it is 95% full.
What is attendance like at High Well School?
Pupils were in school 54.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 79% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does High Well School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Rookhill Road, Pontefract, WF8 2DD
- Telephone
- 01924 572100
- Website
- www.highwellschool.org.uk
- Head Teacher
- Mr Mark Richardson
- Type of school
- Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 9-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Ward
- Pontefract South
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2005 (new provision)
- URN
- 131526 · LAESTAB 3847056 · UKPRN 10015828
- Formerly
- The Felkirk Centre
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
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.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- 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.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 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.