Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Pontefract
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Pontefract, part of The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 33rd-highest of the 33 schools in Pontefract with published results, and 14,232nd of 14,452 across England. It was 72% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
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
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 35% 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 65% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 9 families put Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 33 named it as one of their preferences, for 10 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School are Grove Lea Primary School (0.2 miles, 87% reading, 87% maths); St Helen's CE Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 84% reading, 74% maths); West End Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 73% reading, 81% maths); and Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 89% reading, 89% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School.
Grove Lea Primary SchoolSt Helen's CE Primary SchoolWest End AcademyBrierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
The trust
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is one of 15 schools run by The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
All 15 schools in The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust
Who goes there
37% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 31 pupils (26.1%) received SEN support and 5 (4.2%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Fitzwilliam Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Southmoor Rd Hemsworth Market (opposite), 220 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School 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, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School issued 15 suspensions, 11.9 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; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
37.0%
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 52% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 65% to 35% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 70% to 57% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.8
Avg class size
23.0
Infant (KS1)
24.3
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sacred Heart Catholic 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
- 31
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 10
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 12 serious and 18 slight.
10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sacred Heart Catholic 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School 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
72%
Available places
126 pupils
175 places
49 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
31
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
30.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
119
Total Pupils
67
Boys
52
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,430
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,596
Per pupil
£927k
Total funding
£67k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.5%
Overall absence
22.7%
Persistent absence
119
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
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 52% reached the expected standard in reading and 35% did so in maths.
What is Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2019 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Sacred Heart Catholic 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 72% of its 175 places.
How big are the classes at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Classes at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School average 23.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School has around 119 pupils on roll. 37% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
7.5% of sessions were missed at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 22.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Sacred Heart Catholic 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 12 serious and 18 slight. 10 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is at Highfield Road, Hemsworth, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF9 4LJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)