Wrenthorpe Academy, Wakefield
Wrenthorpe Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Wakefield, part of Waterton Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 34th-highest of the 51 schools in Wakefield with published results, and 9,396th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than 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 27 Oct 2026
Wrenthorpe Academy in detail
Wrenthorpe Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Wrenthorpe Academy is an inclusive, supportive and aspirational learning community where children, parents & staff work together in partnership to meet the needs of all of our learners."
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a friendly, community-focused school, and we pride ourselves on the provision we offer all children through our highly inclusive ethos, engaging curriculum, vibrant learning environment, and creative approach to education. Many visitors comment on the warm and welcoming ‘feel’ of Wrenthorpe - something that truly has to be experienced in person."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include tennis, basketball, choir and forest school.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £5.80 per session.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Wakefield
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Wrenthorpe 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 68% in reading and 66% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Wrenthorpe Academy
For September 2026 entry, 30 families put Wrenthorpe Academy as their first choice and 116 named it as one of their preferences, for 42 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Wrenthorpe Academy are Jerry Clay Academy (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 93% reading, 93% maths); Newton Hill Community School (0.8 miles, Good, 94% reading, 97% maths); Alverthorpe St Paul's CofE (VA) School 3-11yrs (0.8 miles, Good, 78% reading, 81% maths); and Outwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 74% reading, 87% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Wrenthorpe Academy.
Jerry Clay AcademyNewton Hill Community SchoolAlverthorpe St Paul's CofE (VA) School 3-11yrsOutwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane
The trust
Wrenthorpe Academy is one of 16 schools run by Waterton Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
103 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Wrenthorpe Academy (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).
Who goes there
8.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 41 pupils (13.1%) received SEN support and 8 (2.5%) 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 Outwood Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Anne's Church (at), 170 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wrenthorpe Academy issued 4 suspensions, 1.3 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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 April 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Wrenthorpe Academy creates a warm, welcoming environment where every child is genuinely valued. The school combines ambitious academic learning with a strong focus on developing your child's emotional wellbeing, life skills and resilience. Staff go 'above and beyond' to support individual needs, with particularly strong phonics teaching and reading support.
Key Strengths
- Reading is a high priority with skilled phonics teaching from early years, and strong parental engagement in supporting reading at home
- Strong personal development focus that equips pupils with life skills, including emotional resilience, mindfulness, and online safety
- Excellent identification and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with individualised adaptations and close parental partnership
- High attendance rates with thorough procedures to address absence
- Nurturing early years environment rich with learning experiences that develop early literacy and numeracy skills
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers' assessment of pupils' progress in mathematics and some aspects of English needs to be used accurately and effectively - improved procedures are in early stages of implementation
- Need to ensure assessment approaches translate into all pupils achieving the best possible outcomes
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils confident that there are trusted staff to help them with worries.
Extracurricular Activities
Cooking, gardening, African drumming, sports competitions, school trips, breakfast club, after-school club, pool, playground leader roles, residential experiences, musical performances and concerts with other schools
Wrenthorpe Academy has successfully maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. The school is proud to be a place 'where everyone is valued' with a nurturing culture that supports pupils' mental and physical wellbeing alongside their academic learning.
At a Glance
8.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
103 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 remained stable at around 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 66% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.5
Avg class size
27.2
Infant (KS1)
29.7
KS2
11
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Wrenthorpe Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wrenthorpe Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wrenthorpe 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
- 14
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 9 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Wrenthorpe Academy
Will you get a place at Wrenthorpe Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wrenthorpe Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wrenthorpe Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wrenthorpe Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wrenthorpe 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
99%
Near capacity
312 pupils
315 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wakefield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wakefield
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
41
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
15.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
314
Total Pupils
153
Boys
161
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
22.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,297
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1652k
Total funding
£38k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
6.3%
Persistent absence
271
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
Wrenthorpe Academy
Questions parents ask about Wrenthorpe Academy
What are SATs results like at Wrenthorpe Academy?
Of the pupils at Wrenthorpe Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Wrenthorpe Academy's Ofsted rating?
Wrenthorpe Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Wrenthorpe Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Wrenthorpe 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 Wrenthorpe Academy?
Wrenthorpe Academy was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Wrenthorpe Academy?
Classes at Wrenthorpe Academy average 28.5 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Wrenthorpe Academy?
Wrenthorpe Academy has around 314 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wrenthorpe Academy?
3.6% of sessions were missed at Wrenthorpe Academy in 2024/25. 6.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wrenthorpe Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Wrenthorpe 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 Wrenthorpe Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 9 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Wrenthorpe Academy?
Wrenthorpe Academy is at Imperial Avenue, Wrenthorpe, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 0LW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)