Airedale Academy
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,008 pupils
79% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.8
Academy converter
St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,470of 1,800 places
- Free school meals
- 23.8%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 268
- Ofsted
- Report card, 10 March 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Expected standardAchievement Expected standardAttendance and behaviour Expected standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Expected standardLeadership and governance Expected standardPost-16 provision Expected standardSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: St Wilfrid's Catholic High School and Sixth Form College: With Speech and Language Resource (URN 108297, until 1 November 2012).
What the data says
Of the 271 pupils who finished Year 11 at St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy in 2023, 21% stayed on in St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy’s own sixth form (Wakefield average 12%), 37% went to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Physical Education is unusually popular at GCSE: 35% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.
Among the 73 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 38% went to university (Wakefield 35%, England 37%), and 17% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 46.7 against 46.1 across England and 45.1 in Wakefield, with 50% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Wakefield and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 271 | 3,844 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 89% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 86% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 21% | 12% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 27% | 28% | 13% |
| — further education college | 37% | 41% | 37% |
| — other education | — | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 4% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 8% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 73 | 3,906 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 81% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 38% | 35% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 17% | 14% | 19% |
| Further education | 5% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 9% | 7% |
| Employment | 29% | 30% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 12% | 17% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 46.7 | 45.1 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 50% | 46% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 69% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 38% | 33% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.18 | 3.95 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 21% | 28% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 35.8 | 33.4 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 49.6 | 49.6 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 16% | 12% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 266 | 99% | 88% | 17% | 22% | 76% |
| English Language | 266 | 99% | 89% | 16% | 20% | 71% |
| English Literature | 262 | 98% | 86% | 16% | 21% | 71% |
| Religious Studies | 255 | 95% | 31% | 31% | 32% | 73% |
| Combined Science | 200 | 75% | 65% | 12% | 9% | 57% |
| History | 142 | 53% | 41% | 29% | 26% | 77% |
| Geography | 104 | 39% | 41% | 24% | 25% | 69% |
| Physical Education | 94 | 35% | 11% | 6% | 24% | 38% |
| French | 70 | 26% | 18% | 33% | 29% | 90% |
| Biology | 60 | 22% | 23% | 27% | 45% | 87% |
| Physics | 60 | 22% | 23% | 33% | 46% | 83% |
| Chemistry | 60 | 22% | 23% | 30% | 47% | 83% |
| Spanish | 54 | 20% | 19% | 20% | 27% | 81% |
| Business Studies | 51 | 19% | 18% | 18% | 20% | 61% |
| Media Studies | 50 | 19% | 4% | 0% | 20% | 50% |
| Design and Technology | 47 | 18% | 11% | 11% | 23% | 55% |
| Fine Art | 40 | 15% | 9% | 30% | 28% | 85% |
| Computer Science | 39 | 15% | 13% | 10% | 30% | 46% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 28 | 10% | 8% | 21% | 21% | 61% |
| Drama | 19 | 7% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 32% |
| Photography | 18 | 7% | 6% | 22% | 19% | 83% |
| Polish | 18 | 7% | 1% | 94% | 84% | 100% |
| Music | 18 | 7% | 5% | 17% | 33% | 67% |
| Dance | 13 | 5% | 1% | 38% | 27% | 69% |
| Statistics | 11 | 4% | 5% | 0% | 20% | 82% |
| Chinese | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Italian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Portuguese | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 26 | 49% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 20 | 38% | — |
| Speech and Drama | 12 | 23% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Wakefield | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 105 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 53 | 1,538 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.13 | 35.78 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 11% | 14% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 21 | 40% | 31% |
| Biology | 14 | 26% | 20% |
| Chemistry | 12 | 23% | 17% |
| History | 11 | 21% | 13% |
| Psychology | 10 | 19% | 23% |
| Religious Studies | 10 | 19% | 4% |
| Sociology | 9 | 17% | 13% |
| English Language | 9 | 17% | 4% |
| Geography | 8 | 15% | 10% |
| Physics | 7 | 13% | 12% |
| Further Mathematics | 7 | 13% | 5% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
| Business Studies | — | — | 13% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Textiles | — | — | 1% |
| Polish | — | — | 0% |
| Media Studies | — | — | 4% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 14 | 26% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 10 | 19% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Wakefield
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Castleford Academy
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Crofton Academy
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De Lacy Academy
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Horbury Academy
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82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 48.7
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.