Crofton Academy, Wakefield

From the headteacher's welcome: "Our vision of working together to achieve excellence for all sits at the heart of everything we do. From our classrooms to our corridors, we are committed to creating an environment where every pupil feels supported, challenged, and inspired each day to reach their full potential. Our core values of Care, Aspire, Succeed guide our decisions and shape our culture."

In 2026, pupils at Crofton Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Wakefield and 47 across England.

48% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Wakefield and 47% in England.

That is up from 46.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.26: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 40.2, against 53.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 201 families put Crofton Academy as their first choice and 399 named it as one of their preferences, for 202 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Crofton Academy are St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy (2.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.1); Outwood Academy Freeston (2.7 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44.6); Kettlethorpe High School (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.8); and Outwood Academy City Fields (2.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.5).

Crofton Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

Crofton Academy is one of 9 schools run by Castleford Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 206 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 57% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Crofton Academy has a resourced provision for visual impairment: 10 places, 18 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Streethouse Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Crofton Academy, 50 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 29 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Wakefield (130).

In 2024/25, Crofton Academy issued 180 suspensions, 17 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Crofton Academy are Crofton Infant School (0.1 miles), Crofton Junior School (0.2 miles), Shay Lane Primary (J and I) School (0.3 miles) and Sharlston Community School (1.3 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.