St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy, Pontefract

Ofsted's report card from its 10 March 2026 inspection grades St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy on 7 areas: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school's personal development programme is woven through all parts of the school."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Over time, pupils know and remember more of the subjects they study."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "The school's actions to promote regular attendance are working."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Subject curriculums are thoughtfully designed."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders and staff place inclusion at the centre of their work."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "School leaders understand the organisation and its priorities."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "The sixth form offers a tailored learning experience for its small group of students."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff consistently implement checks on pupils' learning to help identify gaps in their knowledge and understanding to effectively inform future lesson design and teaching"; "Leaders should further develop their oversight of inclusion, ensuring that support is carefully reviewed and adjusted to consistently improve pupils' experiences and outcomes"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently apply their expert knowledge of both subjects and of what pupils know and can do so that pupils' achievement from their starting points continues to improve across the curriculum".

In 2026, pupils at St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Wakefield and 47 across England.

42% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Wakefield and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 46.7.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.01: pupils made about average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 29.8, against 51 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 21.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 263 families put St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 586 named it as one of their preferences, for 272 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy are The Featherstone Academy (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.7); Ark The King's School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.8); Outwood Academy Freeston (2.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44.6); and Castleford Academy (2.1 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 46.8).

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy is one of 15 schools run by The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.6 in 2024/25.

143 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy (as of April 2026): 71% would recommend the school, 69% say their child is happy there and 29% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (71%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (29%).

Of the 278 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 32% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 49 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 51% went on to university or other higher education, 10% to apprenticeships and 18% into work. 20% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Glasshoughton Rail Station, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Church Lane, 30 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 30 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).

In 2024/25, St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy issued 696 suspensions, 47 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy are Featherstone All Saints CofE Academy (0.2 miles), Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant School (0.9 miles), Ackton Pastures Primary Academy (1.4 miles) and Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School (1.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.