St Botolphs CE Academy, Knottingley
St Botolphs CE Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Knottingley, part of Enhance Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 6 schools in Knottingley with published results, and 8,057th of 14,452 across England. It was 87% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2017)
- 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
St Botolphs CE Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at St Botolphs CE Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 78% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 84% in reading and 86% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Botolphs CE Academy
For September 2026 entry, 30 families put St Botolphs CE Academy as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Botolphs CE Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Botolphs CE Academy are England Lane Academy (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 88% reading, 88% maths); The Vale Primary Academy (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 80% maths); Simpson's Lane Academy (1 mile, Good, 84% reading, 84% maths); and Brotherton and Byram Community Primary Academy (1.5 miles, Good, 76% reading, 52% maths).
St Botolphs CE Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
England Lane AcademyThe Vale Primary AcademySimpson's Lane AcademyBrotherton and Byram Community Primary Academy
The trust
St Botolphs CE Academy is one of 17 schools run by Enhance Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
32 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Botolphs CE Academy (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).
Who goes there
5.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 46 pupils (16.4%) received SEN support and 20 (7.1%) 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
St Botolphs CE Academy had 11 teachers in 2026, one for every 25 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Knottingley Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Croft (on), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Botolphs CE 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, St Botolphs CE Academy issued 29 suspensions, 9.5 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; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2017, 8 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy coming to this happy and caring school. They have strong and positive relationships with staff. Pupils appreciate how well they are cared for and know that any member of staff will help them if they have any concerns. This helps pupils to feel safe in school.
The school's motto of 'Find Your Fantastic' is visible everywhere. Pupils proudly show off their wristbands showing what they have been fantastic with today. Pupils across the school are very polite and well mannered. They hold doors open for each other and just enjoy spending time together. Classrooms are calm and children try hard with their learning.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school and trust are united in their ambition for all pupils to achieve well. Leaders have worked relentlessly to address the areas from the last inspection. They have redeveloped the whole curriculum to ensure that the key knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is clear. In many subjects, pupils are able to talk about their current learning and link this to prior learning in a careful and considered way. However, in some subjects, the important knowledge that pupils need to learn has recently been changed. This means that some pupils struggle to link their learning over time.
The school has an established approach to developing pupils' early reading. Staff are well trained. They deliver the phonics programme consistently well. Teachers carefully check pupils' progress through the programme. They make sure that pupils who find reading difficult receive extra help so that they can keep up with their peers.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its December 2017 inspection - up from Inadequate.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
24.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
32 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 declined from 84% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 86% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 84% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
23.5
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Botolphs CE Academy
Before and after school care
St Botolphs CE Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Wakefield
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Botolphs CE Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Botolphs CE 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
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 8 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
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 St Botolphs CE Academy
Will you get a place at St Botolphs CE Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Botolphs CE Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Botolphs CE Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Botolphs CE Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Botolphs CE Academy for 2018 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
275 pupils
315 places
40 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
4,391
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
46
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
23.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
281
Total Pupils
140
Boys
141
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
25.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,256
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,555
Per pupil
£1750k
Total funding
£126k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
14.0%
Persistent absence
243
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
St Botolphs CE Academy
Questions parents ask about St Botolphs CE Academy
What are SATs results like at St Botolphs CE Academy?
Of the pupils at St Botolphs CE Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 78% did so in maths.
What is St Botolphs CE Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Botolphs CE Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2017, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for St Botolphs CE Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Botolphs CE 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 St Botolphs CE Academy?
St Botolphs CE Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 87% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at St Botolphs CE Academy?
Classes at St Botolphs CE Academy average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Botolphs CE Academy?
St Botolphs CE Academy has around 281 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Botolphs CE Academy?
5.8% of sessions were missed at St Botolphs CE Academy in 2024/25. 14% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Botolphs CE Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming St Botolphs CE 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.
Does St Botolphs CE Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Botolphs CE Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near St Botolphs CE Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 8 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 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 St Botolphs CE Academy?
St Botolphs CE Academy is at Primrose Vale, Wakefield, Knottingley, West Yorkshire, WF11 9BT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)