Fitzwilliam Primary School, Pontefract
Fitzwilliam Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Pontefract, part of Inspire Partnership Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 21st-highest of the 33 schools in Pontefract with published results, and 12,107th of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Fitzwilliam Primary School in detail
Fitzwilliam Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Fitzwilliam Primary School is proud to be part of the Inspire Partnership. Most of our pupils live in Fitzwilliam but we also welcome children from the surrounding areas."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £3 per day.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at Fitzwilliam Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 57% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 39% in reading and 40% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Fitzwilliam Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put Fitzwilliam Primary School as their first choice and 54 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Fitzwilliam Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Fitzwilliam Primary School are King's Meadow Academy (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 59% reading, 45% maths); Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane (1.4 miles, Good, 88% reading, 85% maths); West End Academy (1.7 miles, Good, 73% reading, 81% maths); and Ackworth Mill Dam School (1.8 miles, Good, 76% reading, 72% maths).
Fitzwilliam Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
King's Meadow AcademyOutwood Primary Academy Bell LaneWest End AcademyAckworth Mill Dam School
The trust
Fitzwilliam Primary School 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.
What parents say
21 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Fitzwilliam Primary School (as of September 2025): 86% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 25% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (25%).
Who goes there
6.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Fitzwilliam Rail Station, about 640 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Central Avenue, 380 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 54 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, Fitzwilliam Primary School issued 32 suspensions, 14.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from April 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a happy school where children love coming and behave well. The school excels at teaching reading through a well-organised phonics programme, and provides excellent enrichment through visits, activities and a strong personal development programme. Staff provide good support for children who need extra help, including those with SEND.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics programme with pupils developing confident reading skills and becoming keen readers
- Excellent provision for personal development including a well-designed PSHE programme that builds understanding of British values
- Good support for pupils with SEND and those needing help to regulate behaviour, with a nurture group providing tailored support
- Positive behaviour throughout the school with pupils responding well to the 'respectful, responsible and ready' expectations
- Good early years provision with children well-cared for and prepared for key stage 1
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching does not consistently focus enough on basic number facts and mental arithmetic in mathematics, which slows pupil progress
- The curriculum does not always make clear the most important knowledge pupils should learn and remember
- Variation in how well teaching focuses on essential knowledge, even when it is identified
- School does not consistently check and use information about how well the curriculum is being taught across all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with school leaders prioritising pupils' best interests and creating an open, positive culture around safeguarding.
Fitzwilliam Primary School is a happy, caring school where pupils behave well and are looked after. However, the quality of education requires improvement due to gaps in pupils' knowledge and inconsistencies in how the curriculum is taught across subjects.
At a Glance
25.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
21 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 39% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 40% to 57% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 48% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.5
Avg class size
23.5
Infant (KS1)
23.0
KS2
8
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Fitzwilliam Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Fitzwilliam Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Fitzwilliam Primary 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 4 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
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 Fitzwilliam Primary School
Will you get a place at Fitzwilliam Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Fitzwilliam Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Fitzwilliam Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Fitzwilliam Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Fitzwilliam Primary School 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
94%
Near capacity
198 pupils
210 places
12 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.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
23.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
224
Total Pupils
118
Boys
106
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
20.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,754
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,901
Per pupil
£1293k
Total funding
£80k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
10.9%
Persistent absence
174
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
Fitzwilliam Primary School
Questions parents ask about Fitzwilliam Primary School
What are SATs results like at Fitzwilliam Primary School?
Of the pupils at Fitzwilliam Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 57% did so in maths.
What is Fitzwilliam Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Fitzwilliam Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Fitzwilliam Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Fitzwilliam Primary 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 Fitzwilliam Primary School?
Fitzwilliam Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Fitzwilliam Primary School?
Classes at Fitzwilliam Primary School average 22.5 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Fitzwilliam Primary School?
Fitzwilliam Primary School has around 224 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Fitzwilliam Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Fitzwilliam Primary School in 2024/25. 10.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Fitzwilliam Primary School?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Fitzwilliam Primary School 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 Fitzwilliam Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 4 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 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 Fitzwilliam Primary School?
Fitzwilliam Primary School is at Second Avenue, Pontefract, WF9 5BA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)