School Chooser

Normanton Junior Academy

Primary · ages 7-11MixedAcademy357 pupilsNormantonWakefield
School Chooser Score
67
Above
similar schools
Likely range 50 to 80, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, July 2023
Reached the expected level at 1183%England 63%
Attendance95.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families29%About the same as most schools in England
Places3 spare357 pupils, 360 places
Pupils per teacher25.5School workforce census

Normanton Junior Academy is a sponsored academy in Normanton for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 357 pupils and room for 360. About 29 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 67 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Church Lane, Normanton, WF6 1EY01924 967613normantonjunioracademy.orgMr Luke Welsh headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 4 July 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

89 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1183%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level10%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 59%59%20172018: 55%55%20182019: 58%58%20192023: 72%72%20232024: 59%59%20242025: 83%83%2025
Since 2017: +24%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WakefieldEngland
Pupils tested898790886469
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths83%59%72%58%55%59%65%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths10%5%8%8%14%4%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0103.0105.0103.0104.0102.0104.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0103.0106.0103.0102.0103.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0103.0104.0104.0105.0105.0104.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard90%63%77%61%70%64%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard89%70%84%73%67%74%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)90%77%84%83%81%86%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.3-4.7-3.5-4.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.2-4.3-4.3-2.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged70%43%63%41%57%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged89%67%76%66%54%64%

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. 1 of the 4 gaps is 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

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
70%89%
Gap 19 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
79%87%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
78%83%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%10%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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.

Nearly full357 pupils for 360 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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 roll357Census January 2026
Places36099% full
Pupils from low-income families29%29% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English13%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support19%68 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.812 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils8%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)28%£156,550 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls167 / 190
White British pupils85%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (20), language and communications needs (19), emotional and mental health (13), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Specific learning difficulty (4), Hearing impairment (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll357359352351348343
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals29%30%30%27%25%25%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language13%13%10%8%8%7%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%15%15%17%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%2%3%3%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.3%5.1%5.3%5.3%4.7%4.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.1%3.7%3.8%4.4%3.5%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.4%1.5%0.9%1.2%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.2%12.7%12.1%12.1%11.9%8.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.03.14.66.09.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers14.0full-time equivalent, 15 people
Pupils per teacher25.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants11.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,226
Teachers who left in the year27%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.22024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£5,476England £7,128. Total £2.0m
Income per pupil£6,479England £7,587. Total £2.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,579England £3,405
Money in reserve13%A healthy amount put by: £310k, £865 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£360kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,476spent 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 m65012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate120 per 1,000 people31% higher than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Wakefield
Nearest bus stop170 mDalefield Road Church Ln, 27 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
Normanton All Saints CofE Infant SchoolChurch of England270 m289No overall grade 202495Compare
Newlands Primary SchoolCouncil600 m270No overall grade 20253Compare
St. John the Baptist Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy630 m221Good 202331Compare
Altofts Junior AcademyAcademy850 mNo overall grade 2025Compare
Lee Brigg Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.8 miles151Report card 202683Compare
Normanton Common Primary AcademyAcademy0.9 miles334Good 202471Compare
Martin Frobisher Infant SchoolCouncil1.0 miles158Good 202229Compare
Streethouse Junior, Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.5 miles105Report card 20264Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Normanton 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.

Beats92%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 67 is 37 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 30 · highest 88100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 67 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 67% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 50 to 80. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 years25%in line
+0.05
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 89 pupils
Ofsted inspection20% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.07
DfE progress measure; 89 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.09
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.04
2024/25; 365 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.07
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 89 pupils
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 Normanton Junior Academy a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Normanton Junior Academy scores 67 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 50 to 80, 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 Normanton Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Normanton Junior Academy good at its last full inspection on 4 July 2023.

How good are Normanton Junior Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 83% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 10% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Normanton Junior Academy have?

357 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 360 places, so it is 99% full.

Is Normanton Junior Academy oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Normanton Junior Academy?

Pupils were in school 95.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Normanton Junior Academy?

The average class had 29.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 8% 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
Church Lane, Normanton, WF6 1EY
Telephone
01924 967613
Website
www.normantonjunioracademy.org
Headteacher
Mr Luke Welsh
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Waterton Academy Trust (16 schools)
Local authority
Wakefield
Ward
Normanton
Constituency
Normanton and Hemsworth
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 August 2015 (new provision)
URN
141878 · LAESTAB 3842022 · UKPRN 10049040
Formerly
Normanton Junior School

Where these figures come from