The Featherstone Academy, Pontefract

Ofsted's report card from its 30 June 2026 inspection grades The Featherstone Academy on 6 areas: 5 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils typically achieve well."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders are committed to inclusion."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have put in place a thoughtful personal development programme that addresses the needs of pupils."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Overall attendance has declined and is below the national average."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that their revised approach to attendance has the required impact and results in swift intervention, especially for vulnerable pupils or pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities who are severely absent from school"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently adapt the curriculum and their approaches to teaching effectively so that they meet the needs of all pupils"; "Leaders should improve their oversight and analysis to better understand the impact of their work on pupils' behaviour and on the strengthening of support for pupils who require more help to behave appropriately in school".

From the headteacher's welcome: "At The Featherstone Academy we teach the core personal values of responsibility, aspiration, and pride. The Featherstone Academy is an ambitious and aspirational secondary school, which is part of the Resilience Multi Academy Trust."

In 2026, pupils at The Featherstone Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Wakefield and 47 across England.

39% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Wakefield and 47% in England.

That is down from 41.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.33: pupils made below 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 27.8, against 47.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 19.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were French, History and Combined Science.

For September 2026 entry, 96 families put The Featherstone Academy as their first choice and 231 named it as one of their preferences, for 98 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 The Featherstone Academy are Ark The King's School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.8); St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.1); Ark Carleton High School (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.3); and Outwood Academy Freeston (3.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 44.6).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Featherstone Academy.

The Featherstone Academy is one of 6 schools run by Resilience Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Featherstone Academy (as of September 2026): 58% would recommend the school, 56% say their child is happy there and 27% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (61%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (27%).

Of the 88 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 84% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 58% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

40.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 120 pupils (21.6%) received SEN support and 58 (10.4%) 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 autism.

The Featherstone Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 20 places, 19 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Featherstone Rail Station, about 1130 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Houndhill Lane (at), 130 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 74 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, The Featherstone Academy issued 602 suspensions, 114.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 6 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Featherstone Academy are Featherstone Purston Infant School (0.6 miles), Featherstone Purston St Thomas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School (0.7 miles), Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant School (0.7 miles) and Featherstone Girnhill Infant School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.