Ackton Pastures Primary Academy, Castleford
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Castleford, part of Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 10 schools in Castleford with published results, and 10,359th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.7 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 105% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- 1.7 first choices per place
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy in detail
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Ackton Pastures is a community school with a big heart, that does all it can for the community it serves. As part of the Inspire Partnership Multi-Academy Trust, we pride ourselves on providing an exciting and enriching curriculum to our students, including visits and visitors to expand our knowledge and experiences ."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (69% in reading, 73% in maths).
Getting a place at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 73 families put Ackton Pastures Primary Academy as their first choice and 117 named it as one of their preferences, for 43 places offered. That is 1.7 first choices for every place. 31 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ackton Pastures Primary Academy are Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 64% reading, 68% maths); Half Acres Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 82% reading, 75% maths); Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy (0.9 miles); and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford (1.2 miles, Good, 69% reading, 59% maths).
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Castleford Three Lane Ends AcademyHalf Acres Primary AcademySmawthorne Henry Moore AcademySt Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford
The trust
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy is one of 9 schools run by Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
5.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Castleford Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pasture Drive, 240 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 236 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Wakefield (130), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Ackton Pastures Primary Academy issued 9 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Ackton Pastures Primary Academy are Castleford Academy (1.4 miles) and St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy (1.4 miles).
Castleford AcademySt Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
17.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.8
Avg class size
27.2
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
11
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Ackton Pastures Primary Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ackton Pastures Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ackton Pastures Primary Academy is in Wakefield; for families living there:
- Wakefield's school travel policy: Home To School Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ackton Pastures Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ackton Pastures Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ackton Pastures Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wakefield got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
105%
Over capacity
315 pupils
300 places
15 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Castleford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Castleford
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,391
Applications
3,654
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: 1.7 first choices per place
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
64
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
21.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
356
Total Pupils
184
Boys
172
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
23.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,486
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,118
Per pupil
£1773k
Total funding
£79k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
10.9%
Persistent absence
274
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Ackton Pastures Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Ackton Pastures Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023.
What is the catchment area for Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Ackton Pastures Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Wakefield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy was full in 2025, at 105% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
Classes at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy average 28.8 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy has around 356 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Ackton Pastures Primary Academy in 2024/25. 10.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Ackton Pastures Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ackton Pastures Primary Academy?
Ackton Pastures Primary Academy is at College Grove, Whitwood, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 5NS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)