The Featherstone Academy

About The Featherstone Academy

The Featherstone Academy is a mixed state secondary school in Wakefield, serving pupils from age 11 to 16. It sits within a local authority that contains 21 secondary schools of its type, of which only two currently hold an Outstanding Ofsted rating. The school itself is rated Good, placing it in the solid middle tier of Wakefield’s secondary landscape. Among its closest ranked peers in the area are Castleford Academy, Trinity Academy Cathedral, and Horbury Academy, each of which scores higher on the local ranking metric. With 524 pupils on roll, Featherstone is a relatively compact secondary, and its headteacher Diana Townshend leads a non-denominational school that draws from the surrounding Featherstone and Pontefract communities. For families weighing up options within the Wakefield authority, this school represents a stable, well-regarded choice that sits just below the top tier but above many of its local counterparts in terms of its overall inspection standing.

Academic outcomes at The Featherstone Academy are not published in the available data, so there is no Progress 8 score, Attainment 8 figure, or KS2-to-4 value to compare against the Wakefield local authority average of 0. However, the school’s Good Ofsted rating provides a reliable baseline for parents. In its most recent inspection, inspectors judged the school to be effective across all key areas, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. This is a meaningful signal, particularly given that only two of the 21 secondary schools in the same local authority have achieved Outstanding. While the absence of published exam results means families cannot benchmark specific subject performance or headline attainment rates, the Ofsted judgement suggests that pupils are making at least expected progress in a well-led environment. For those prioritising a school with a clear inspection track record over raw league-table data, Featherstone offers a straightforward, positive picture.

The school provides a broad range of facilities including science labs, a sports hall, ICT suite, art studios, tennis courts, a gymnasium, and music rooms. Sports on offer include basketball, tennis, martial arts, badminton, swimming, dance, gymnastics, rounders, hockey, and netball, while extracurricular clubs extend to Young Enterprise, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, coding, orchestra, choir, film club, art club, chess, a newspaper club, and a book club. This breadth suggests a school that invests in enrichment beyond the classroom, which may appeal to families who want their child to develop interests outside of core academics. There is no data on SEND provision, admissions criteria, or oversubscription rates, so parents should contact the school directly for details on how it supports pupils with additional needs and how places are allocated. The Featherstone Academy is likely to suit families in the Wakefield area who value a Good-rated, mid-sized secondary with a strong extracurricular offer and a clear, non-selective intake.

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