Airedale AcademyCastleford Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Castleford.
Summary of the comparison
Airedale Academy and Castleford Academy are secondary schools in Castleford.
Airedale Academy scores 34 out of 100 (grade F, weak) and Castleford Academy scores 65 out of 100 (grade C, average). Castleford Academy is ahead on our composite score.
Airedale Academy was judged Requires improvement and Castleford Academy was judged strong.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 39.4 for Airedale Academy and 46.8 for Castleford Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Airedale Academy (41.1 in 2021-22, 39.4 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Castleford Academy (52.8 in 2021-22, 46.8 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | CastlefordAiredale Academy | CastlefordCastleford Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | F34/100 | C65/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 18th of 18 in Wakefield | 2nd of 18 in Wakefield Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Requires improvement | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,008 | 1,480 | |
| Capacity | 1,250 | 1,500 | |
| Location | Castleford, WF10 3JU | Castleford, WF10 4JQ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 39.4 | 46.8 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 35.3% | 48.4% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 59.7% | 70.0% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 201 | 287 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,063 | 1,477 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 49.7% | 27.8% | |
| English as an additional language | 7.9% | 5.6% | |
| SEN support | 16.9% | 12.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 3.9% | 5.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 15.2% | 8.7% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 41.9% | 23.5% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Airedale Academy
Castleford Academy
Full profiles: Airedale Academy · Castleford Academy