Pontefract’s state schools get better results than 87% of towns in England
75% of Pontefract’s primary pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, above both West Yorkshire’s towns (64%) and towns in England (62%). 15 state-funded schools are located in Pontefract’s built-up area. Pontefract grades A for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #11 of 91 in West Yorkshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Pontefract’s secondary results beat 69% of English towns; its primary results beat 96%. 75% of the large town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 63% across Wakefield. The spread between primaries is wide: 94% at Ark Larks Hill Primary School, 39% at Cherry Tree Academy. Every school’s result ↓
One trust runs much of it
13 of Pontefract’s 15 state schools belong to 5 academy trusts. Ark Schools runs 8 of them, including Ark Carleton High and Ark The King's: 2,067 of the 2,067 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓
Popular schools are full
6 of 12 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as their official capacity. A full school gives places by its admissions rules, usually by distance after siblings. Getting a place ↓
After 16 it’s college
None of the 2 state secondaries in Pontefract keeps pupils past 16. New College Pontefract, a 16–19 school, takes 0 students; most others go to a further-education or sixth-form college, or a sixth form in another town. After 16 ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Pontefract grades A for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (75% meet the standard)Better than 96% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (48.1 and 51%)Better than 69% of towns in England
The primary figure lifts Pontefract; the secondary figure holds it back.
Each of Pontefract’s 10 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
England’s average schoolWakefield’s average school
The primary figure: 10 primaries in the town, 1,184 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 2 secondaries in the town, 407 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Pontefract’s 15 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Pontefract’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 2 secondaries are named.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 6% at Ark Larks Hill Primary School to 48% at Cherry Tree Academy. Against schools with the same intake, Ark Carleton Park Primary School does best: 92% with 21% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 63%. 8 of 10 primaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Pontefract
Wakefield Council handles applications for every state school in Pontefract, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 3 of Pontefract’s 12 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 6 schools are at or over it.
Ark De Lacy incl. nursery109%
St Giles incl. nursery107%
Ark Orchard Head incl. nursery106%
St Joseph's incl. nursery106%
Ark The Rookeries Carleton incl. nursery104%
Ark Halfpenny Lane incl. nursery103%
Ark The King's99%
Ark Carleton High98%
Ark Larks Hill97%
Ark Carleton Park95%
Show all 12 schools
Holy Family and St Michael's95%
Cherry Tree incl. nursery74%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
15 state schools in Pontefract
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Pontefract’s schoolsA8B2C0D23 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Outstanding 1Good 4Requires improvement 1Ungraded inspection only 8No published grade 1
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Pontefract’s 15 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Who runs them
5 academy trusts and the council
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
Ark SchoolsArk The King's, Ark Carleton High, Ark Halfpenny Lane, Ark De Lacy, Ark Orchard Head, Ark The Rookeries Carleton, Ark Carleton Park, Ark Larks Hill
8
3,919
A−B−A+AAAA+A+
Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy TrustSt Joseph's, Holy Family and St Michael's
2
421
BD
Enhance Academy TrustSt Giles
1
337
A
Waterton Academy TrustCherry Tree
1
233
D
New Collaborative Learning TrustNew College Pontefract
1
0
—
Wakefield CouncilHigh Well, Harewood Centre Nursery
2
156
—
After 16
Where Pontefract’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
All 2 state secondaries in Pontefract teach 11 to 16. New College Pontefract is a state 16–19 school in the large town. The nearest college is Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, a further-education college 8.2 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
0 of 2
state schools in Pontefract
Colleges within 12 miles
1
nearest: Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Grammar schools in Wakefield
0
no selective state secondaries
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Pontefract
Pontefract has 1 special school (High Well: 104 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Wakefield Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Wakefield Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
24th of 200 English towns of 23,000 to 45,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Pontefract, and the top and bottom of the group.
Pontefract’s schools are graded at least as well as any neighbour’s. Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Pontefract: 20% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Pontefract
Are schools in Pontefract good?
Pontefract’s state schools earn an A against schools across England: primary results beat 96% of towns in England; secondary results beat 69% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Wakefield council.
What is the best secondary school in Pontefract?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Ark The King's School: Attainment 8 of 51.8 and 57% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Pontefract?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Ark Larks Hill Primary School: 94% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Pontefract secondary schools have sixth forms?
No. All 2 state secondaries teach 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.
How do I apply for a school place in Pontefract?
Through Wakefield Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Pontefract are full?
6 of 12 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Pontefract?
15 open state-funded schools are located in Pontefract’s built-up area: 10 primary, 2 secondary and 3 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
