De Lacy Academy, Knottingley
De Lacy Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Knottingley, part of Delta Academies Trust. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, ended in a report card: 2 strong standard and 4 expected standard. Before that it was rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in April 2022. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 11th-highest of the 18 schools in Wakefield with published results, and 1,832nd of 3,298 across England. It was 78% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted report card
- 2 of 6 areas strong or better
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
De Lacy Academy in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 16 June 2026 inspection grades De Lacy Academy on 6 areas: 2 strong standard and 4 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Inclusion - Strong standard. "The school has robust systems in place to ensure it swiftly identifies any pupils with additional barriers to their learning, including special educational needs and/or disabilities."
Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Pupils consistently benefit from a high-quality personal development offer."
Achievement - Expected standard. "Generally, pupils achieve well and are prepared for the next stage in their education."
Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Published attendance data does not fully reflect the impact of the school's work."
Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school has an ambitious, well-designed curriculum in place."
Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, including the trust, have a secure understanding of the school, its strengths and areas for continued development."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teaching is consistently as skilled and impactful as the most effective practice in school, enabling all pupils to achieve highly across subjects and phases"; "Leaders should continue to develop the school's attendance strategy in order to raise rates of attendance further, including through strengthening partnerships with parents and carers".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Results
In 2026, pupils at De Lacy Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45, 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 in line with 2025, when the score was 45.6.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.12: pupils made below 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 40.8, against 47 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Art and Design.
Getting a place at De Lacy Academy
For September 2026 entry, 155 families put De Lacy Academy as their first choice and 200 named it as one of their preferences, for 161 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to De Lacy Academy are Airedale Academy (3.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 39.4); Ark Carleton High School (3.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.3); Ark The King's School (3.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.8); and Castleford Academy (4.4 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 46.8).
De Lacy Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Airedale AcademyArk Carleton High SchoolArk The King's SchoolCastleford Academy
The trust
De Lacy Academy is one of 64 schools run by Delta Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.1 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 170 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 67% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 45% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 8% into work.
Who goes there
43% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 7.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 143 pupils (16.8%) received SEN support and 21 (2.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Knottingley Rail Station, about 1120 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is De Lacy Academy, 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood De Lacy Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, De Lacy Academy issued 868 suspensions, 99.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to De Lacy Academy are England Lane Academy (under 0.1 miles), St Botolphs CE Academy (0.4 miles), Simpson's Lane Academy (0.8 miles) and The Vale Primary Academy (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
England Lane AcademySt Botolphs CE AcademySimpson's Lane AcademyThe Vale Primary 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 destination measures; 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 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- InclusionStrong standard
- Personal development and wellbeingStrong standard
- AchievementExpected standard
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- Curriculum and teachingExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at De Lacy Academy
Pupils enjoy their time at school. They value the support that they receive and how this helps them to be successful. Relationships between pupils and staff are positive and respectful. This creates a welcoming and purposeful school environment. Pupils form secure friendships with their peers. They are considerate of one another and treat others with kindness. Incidents of bullying and discrimination are rare. Staff challenge these effectively and never tolerate such behaviours. The school provides support for those pupils involved, helping them to learn how to resolve differences with peers independently. The school has experienced a significant amount of change in recent years. This includes the appointment of a new principal and wider senior leadership team since September 2025. Leaders, including from the trust, have ensured that this transition is managed well. New leaders have made a number of improvements, such as to the school's attendance strategy, since coming into post. These are increasingly strengthening the educational experiences of pupils. For example, lessons are taught with greater consistency, misbehaviour is infrequent and absence is declining. Leaders have prioritised pupils' personal development and providing them with help to overcome barriers through the school's approach to inclusion. Consequently, pupils consistently benefit from personalised support that enables them to better access their learning. Well-chosen enrichment activities deepen pupils' knowledge of their local community and broaden their experience of the wider world. These combine to raise pupils' aspirations. Pupils receive the help that they need to realise these aspirations. Pupils typically engage with learning positively. Well-taught lessons help them to build their knowledge and confidence securely. Pupils respond well to teachers' high expectations. Largely, pupils achieve well. Results in public examinations are similar to the national average. Pupils ate generally well prepared for their next steps in education and training.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should ensure that teaching is consistently as skilled and impactful as the most effective practice in school, enabling all pupils to achieve highly across subjects and phases.
- Leaders should continue to develop the school's attendance strategy in order to raise rates of attendance further, including through strengthening partnerships with parents and carers.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 16 June 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
De Lacy Academy excels at supporting pupils who face additional challenges, whether due to special needs, disadvantage, or difficult circumstances. The school provides excellent opportunities for personal growth through visits to universities, workplaces, and cultural sites, helping pupils develop their talents and aspirations. Staff create positive, respectful relationships with pupils, fostering a kind and inclusive atmosphere where bullying is rare and all pupils feel valued.
Key Strengths
- Strong inclusion systems that quickly identify and support pupils with additional barriers to learning
- Effective support for disadvantaged pupils and children in care, resulting in excellent attendance and engagement
- High-quality personal development offer including educational visits, workplace experiences, and careers guidance
- Positive relationships between pupils and staff creating a respectful, welcoming school environment
- Well-designed, ambitious curriculum that is evidence-informed and consistently taught
Areas for Improvement
- Overall attendance rates remain below the national average, though improving
- Some inconsistency in teaching quality - while many lessons are effective, refinement is needed in some classrooms
- Relationships with some families need strengthening to further improve attendance and engagement
- Achievement in public examinations still needs to reach above national average levels
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met. The school has created an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are met and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Educational visits to colleges and universities, Palace of Westminster visits, workplace experiences with finance companies, clubs supporting individual talents and interests, leadership roles
De Lacy Academy is a school that has experienced recent leadership changes and is strengthening its provision across key areas. The school provides strong support for pupils with additional needs and disadvantaged students, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.
About
De Lacy Academy, formerly Knottingley High School, is a mixed secondary school in Knottingley in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
43.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.12 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 44.1 to 45.0 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 32% to 48% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.0 | 48.1% |
| Disadvantaged(53) | - | 40.8 | 43.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(107) | - | 47.0 | 50.5% |
| Boys(77) | - | 44.2 | 49.4% |
| Girls(83) | - | 45.7 | 47% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(17) | - | 51.5 | 64.7% |
| Non mobile(152) | - | 45.9 | 49.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 170 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
4
Permanent exclusions
0.46%
Exclusion rate
868
Suspensions
99.88%
Suspension rate
153 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 869 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with De Lacy Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to De Lacy Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. De Lacy 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
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 10 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 De Lacy Academy
Will you get a place at De Lacy Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against De Lacy Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for De Lacy Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to De Lacy Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at De Lacy Academy for 2014 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
78%
Available places
860 pupils
1,101 places
241 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Knottingley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Knottingley
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,300
Applications
3,912
Got 1st preference
90.7%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All secondary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
143
SEN Support
21
EHC Plans
19.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
853
Total Pupils
432
Boys
421
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
49
Teachers
17.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,769
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,462
Per pupil
£7051k
Total funding
£368k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.8%
Overall absence
32.4%
Persistent absence
921
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about De Lacy Academy
What are GCSE results like at De Lacy Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at De Lacy Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45. 48% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is De Lacy Academy's Ofsted rating?
De Lacy Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2022, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for De Lacy Academy?
No fixed boundary. When De Lacy 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 De Lacy Academy?
De Lacy Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 78% of its 1101 places.
How big are the classes at De Lacy Academy?
Classes at De Lacy Academy average 23.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to De Lacy Academy?
De Lacy Academy has around 853 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at De Lacy Academy?
10.8% of sessions were missed at De Lacy Academy in 2024/25. 32.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to De Lacy Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming De Lacy Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near De Lacy Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 10 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 De Lacy Academy?
De Lacy Academy is at Middle Lane, Knottingley, West Yorkshire, WF11 0BZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)