Outwood Academy Hemsworth
68%
Capacity
1,108
Pupils
1.3x
Demand
About Outwood Academy Hemsworth
Outwood Academy Hemsworth is a mixed secondary school in Wakefield that currently has 1,108 pupils on its roll against a capacity of 1,632, meaning it is operating well below its physical limit. However, the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 admissions round, it received 254 applications for 191 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.33, and made 147 offers to first-preference families. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 40.5%, which is significantly above the national average and signals a catchment with higher-than-average levels of disadvantage. The school has no religious character and is led by headteacher James Pape. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in March 2025, rated the school Good across all individual categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision — a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in October 2022.
In terms of academic outcomes, Outwood Academy Hemsworth’s Progress 8 score for the 2023/24 academic year was -0.07, which is classed as Average and sits just below the Wakefield local authority average of 0. This places the school 12th out of 18 secondary schools in the LA, and in the bottom 50% nationally. Its Attainment 8 score was 39.7, and 58.4% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, though this drops to 32.4% at grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score was 3.54, with 31.8% of pupils entering the EBacc combination of subjects. At sixth form, the picture is more mixed: only 18 pupils took A-levels, with a value-added score of -0.93, classed as well below average, and an average points per entry of 20.94, equivalent to a D grade. The school’s progress in English was slightly positive at +0.14, but maths was negative at -0.11.
The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, astro turf, gymnasium, swimming pool, tennis courts, art studios and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports on offer include rugby, netball, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, tennis and rowing, while clubs range from debate and eco club to orchestra, choir and Model UN. The school reports a wide array of SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, show 66% of the 138 respondents would recommend the school. However, only 24% of parents felt the school gives SEND children the support they need, with 75% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. This is a school that suits families who value the recent Ofsted improvement and the broad extracurricular offer, but who may want to investigate SEND support closely before applying.
Key Details
| School Type | Secondary (State) |
| Age Range | 11 to 18 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | None |
| Address | Wakefield Road, Pontefract, Wakefield, WF9 4AB |
| Headteacher | James Pape |
| Local Authority | Wakefield |
| Number of Pupils | 1,108 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 40.5% |
| School Capacity | 1,108 / 1,632 (68% full) |
| Sixth Form | Yes |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
4 Mar 2025Quality of Education
Good
Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 29 Apr 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
League Table Position
Based on Progress 8 (-0.07)
1686th of 3,141
Nationally
154th of 306
In Yorkshire and the Humber
12th of 18
In Wakefield
Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data
GCSE Results
2023/24Progress 8 Score
Students make similar progress to students nationally with the same starting point
Attainment 8 (vs national avg)
Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average
Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.
A-Level Results
2023/24Average Points per Entry
Value Added Score
'21/22
27.5
'22/23
19.5
'23/24
20.9
Source: Department for Education 16-18 Performance Tables, 2023/24. Value Added measures progress compared to students with similar GCSE results.
Where GCSE leavers go
2022/2329%
of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 164 pupils).
- FE college49%
- School sixth form (stay)29%
- Employment8%
- Not sustained7%
- Sixth form college4%
- Apprenticeship3%
93% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.
Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.
Where school leavers go
2022/2341%
of A-level / Level 3 leavers go to higher education (cohort: 39 pupils).
Top-tier university progression
5%
Russell Group
5%
Top-third HE
Percentages of the whole cohort (not just HE-goers). Russell Group = 24 elite research universities. Top-third HE = top by mean UCAS tariff.
- University (HE)41%
- Not sustained23%
- Employment21%
- Apprenticeship5%
Sources: DfE 16-18 destination measures (broad bucket); DfE KS5 student destinations file (Russell Group / top-third HE / Oxbridge). Level 3 cohort. “Sustained” means the pupil was in education, apprenticeship or employment for 6 months in the year following completion.
Sixth form A-level subjects
2022/23- Psychology14
- Sociology10
- English Language8
- Biology6
- Chemistry5
- History5
- Art and Design (Photography)3
- Drama and Theatre Studies3
- Mathematics3
Subjects with at least 3 entries in 2022/23. Number shown next to each subject is the number of pupils who sat that A-level exam — a rough indicator of subject popularity at this school. Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance.
Ofsted Parent View
138 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
7Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
14Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed191
254
Balanced
Applications roughly match available places
147 families put this school as their 1st choice (58% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:50 – 14:45
Source: hemsworth.outwood.com. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/25Better than half of schools in England.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Among the highest-disadvantage schools.
Lower than the national median (10%) — mostly English as first language.
Ethnic background
- White British86.8%
- White (other)3.5%
- Mixed3.5%
- Asian1.0%
- Black0.2%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/2575% of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Permanent exclusion is rare — most schools have none in a given year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
5
Total schools
5
Oversubscribed
4
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Outwood Academy Hemsworth
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
Understanding Progress 8
Learn how Progress 8 measures pupil progress from primary to GCSE
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Understanding School Catchment Areas
How admission distances work and tips for maximising your choices
Contact Information
Wakefield Road, Pontefract
Wakefield, WF9 4AB
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
Opening Hours
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