Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Pontefract
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Pontefract. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 23rd-highest of the 33 schools in Pontefract with published results, and 13,005th of 14,452 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Capacity
- 85% full
- Attendance
- Below England average
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School in detail
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School in its own words
In its own words: "We are a Church of England voluntary controlled Junior school (age 7-11) situated in the old mining town of Featherstone, West Yorkshire. We have 356 pupils currently on roll with an above average 47% being pupil premium."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School reached the expected standard in reading and 62% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 65% in reading and 60% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
Across Wakefield, 94% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Wakefield lodged 154 appeals against primary school offers; 82 reached a hearing and 13 succeeded (15.9% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School are Featherstone Purston Infant School (0.2 miles, Good); Featherstone Girnhill Infant School (0.3 miles, Good); Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant School (0.8 miles, Good, 58% reading, 58% maths); and Featherstone All Saints CofE Academy (1.3 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths).
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Featherstone Purston Infant SchoolFeatherstone Girnhill Infant SchoolFeatherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant SchoolFeatherstone All Saints CofE Academy
Who goes there
46.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 11.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 64 pupils (20.4%) received SEN support and 7 (2.2%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 27 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Featherstone Rail Station, about 420 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Featherstone The Precinct (at), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 80 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Wakefield (130).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School issued 13 suspensions, 3.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School are The Featherstone Academy (0.7 miles), St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy (1.5 miles) and Ark The King's School (1.8 miles).
The Featherstone AcademySt Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary AcademyArk The King's School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its March 2024 inspection.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement), Personal development (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
46.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 65% to 57% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 62% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.2
Avg class size
24.2
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School 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
- 38
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 11
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 38 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 11 serious and 26 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
356 pupils
420 places
64 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Pontefract
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Pontefract
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.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
64
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
22.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
314
Total Pupils
154
Boys
160
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
24.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,312
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,827
Per pupil
£2417k
Total funding
£248k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.7%
Overall absence
23.9%
Persistent absence
372
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
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
Questions parents ask about Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School
What are SATs results like at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Of the pupils at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 57% reached the expected standard in reading and 62% did so in maths.
What is Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is oversubscribed, Wakefield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Classes at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School average 24.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School has around 314 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
7.7% of sessions were missed at Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School in 2024/25. 23.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 38 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 11 serious and 26 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 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 Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School?
Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School is at George Street, Featherstone, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF7 5BG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)