St Ignatius Catholic Primary School

About St Ignatius Catholic Primary School

St Ignatius Catholic Primary School sits in the bottom half of Wakefield primary schools when ranked by the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2. Its score of 56 places it 68th out of 97 schools in the local authority, and below the LA average of 64. That said, the picture is more mixed than the headline suggests. In reading, 78% of pupils met the expected standard, and in writing the figure was 83% — both solid results. The maths expected standard, at 61%, is where the school falls notably behind. The average scaled scores tell a similar story: 105 in reading and 103 in maths, both around the national average of 100. Only 11% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects, which is low. So while the school isn't struggling across the board, its maths outcomes and overall combined performance are weaker than many of its Wakefield neighbours.

Ofsted rated the school Good overall in its most recent graded inspection, with leadership and management, early years provision, and behaviour and attitudes all judged Good. This represents a clear improvement from the previous inspection in 2013, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. The most recent visit, an ungraded inspection in November 2024, noted that some aspects were not as strong, but the Good rating remains in place. Parent feedback from the Parent View survey, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is largely positive: 89% of respondents said their child is happy at the school, and 94% said their child feels safe. However, only 72% would recommend the school to another parent, and responses on how concerns are handled and how well the school communicates with parents show a notable minority of dissatisfaction. For a small school with just 36 respondents, these views carry weight.

St Ignatius is a Roman Catholic primary for children aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. It is oversubscribed: for 14 places in the 2025/26 reception intake, there were 29 applications, all 14 first-preference offers were made, and the oversubscription ratio was 2.07. The school is small, with 142 pupils against a capacity of 140, and 11.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Facilities include a library, music rooms, an ICT suite, a gymnasium, a forest school area and a chapel. Sports on offer include cross country, netball, tennis and athletics, and clubs include eco club, film club, science club and book club. The school lists SEND support for a range of needs including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. This is a school that will suit families who value its Catholic character and small community feel, but those prioritising strong maths outcomes or a school in the top tier of Wakefield primaries may want to look at nearby alternatives such as Ossett Southdale Church of England School, which is 0.8 km away and rated Outstanding.

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