Half Acres Primary Academy, Castleford
Half Acres 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 November 2010. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 3rd-highest of the 10 schools in Castleford with published results, and 6,591st of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2010)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
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 26 Oct 2026
Half Acres Primary Academy in detail
Half Acres Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Half Acres Primary Academy is part of the Inspire Partnership Multi-Academy Trust (IPMAT). Most of our pupils live in Castleford but we also welcome children from the surrounding areas."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Half Acres Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 66% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Half Acres Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 47 families put Half Acres Primary Academy as their first choice and 119 named it as one of their preferences, for 57 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Half Acres Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Half Acres Primary Academy are Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy (0.4 miles); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford (0.6 miles, Good, 69% reading, 59% maths); Ackton Pastures Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 67% reading, 73% maths); and Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery (0.7 miles, Good).
Half Acres Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Smawthorne Henry Moore AcademySt Joseph's Catholic Primary School CastlefordAckton Pastures Primary AcademyCastleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery
The trust
Half Acres 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.
What parents say
97 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Half Acres Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 81% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 61% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (61%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 72 pupils (17%) received SEN support and 7 (1.7%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Castleford Rail Station, about 480 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Beancroft Street Leaf St, 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 336 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. 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, Half Acres Primary Academy issued 11 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 Half Acres Primary Academy are Castleford Academy (0.7 miles) and St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy (1.7 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; 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
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2010, 15 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 March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Half Acres is a caring community where children feel safe and valued. The school excels at teaching reading, maths and phonics with regular practice that helps learning stick. Staff are well-supported and committed to continuous improvement, creating a purposeful environment where pupils of all abilities thrive.
Key Strengths
- Pupils display outstanding behaviour and are kind and supportive to one another
- Well-designed curriculum with regular practice helps pupils remember and understand key concepts
- Strong phonics teaching with swift support for those who need extra help
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, enabling them to access the ambitious curriculum
- Early years provision gives children a positive start with well-established routines and carefully planned activities
Areas for Improvement
- Lesson tasks sometimes don't give pupils enough opportunity to fully embed and apply their learning - the school should ensure activities help pupils practise and deepen key knowledge and skills
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a strong open culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Visiting farm animals, pupil leadership roles including well-being ambassadors, fundraising activities, school library, class reading times, Year 6 activities including financial management learning
Half Acres Primary Academy is a good school where pupils thrive in a warm, supportive environment with exemplary behaviour. The school provides a well-sequenced curriculum and rich experiences that help pupils develop into confident, empathetic learners.
At a Glance
20.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
97 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 66% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 81% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.0
Avg class size
27.5
Infant (KS1)
27.4
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Half Acres Primary Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Half Acres Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Half Acres 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
- 23
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 18 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Half Acres Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Half Acres Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Half Acres Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Half Acres Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Half Acres 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 Half Acres 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
92%
Near capacity
386 pupils
420 places
34 spare places 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
72
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
18.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
424
Total Pupils
229
Boys
195
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
21.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,448
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,228
Per pupil
£2244k
Total funding
£136k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
14.7%
Persistent absence
353
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
Half Acres Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Half Acres Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Half Acres Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Half Acres Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Half Acres Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Half Acres Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2010, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Half Acres Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Half Acres 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 Half Acres Primary Academy?
Half Acres Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Half Acres Primary Academy?
Classes at Half Acres Primary Academy average 26 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Half Acres Primary Academy?
Half Acres Primary Academy has around 424 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Half Acres Primary Academy?
6.3% of sessions were missed at Half Acres Primary Academy in 2024/25. 14.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Half Acres Primary Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Half Acres 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 Half Acres Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 23 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 18 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Half Acres Primary Academy?
Half Acres Primary Academy is at Temple Street, Castleford, West Yorkshire, WF10 5RE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)