Wrenthorpe Academy

About Wrenthorpe Academy

Wrenthorpe Academy, a state primary in Wakefield, was rated Good by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in 2014, and an ungraded inspection in January 2025 confirmed that standards have been maintained. The school's leadership and management were also judged Good. This marks a clear improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2012, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. On the key academic metric for primary schools, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined stood at 52% in the 2023/24 academic year. This is below the Wakefield local authority average of 64%, placing the school 74th out of 97 primary schools in the area. Nationally, Wrenthorpe ranks in the bottom half of all primary schools on this measure, sitting at the 74th percentile.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the picture is mixed across subjects. In writing, 86% of pupils met the expected standard, a strong result, and 25% reached the higher standard. Reading saw 68% at the expected level and 27% at the higher level, while maths saw 66% at the expected level and 18% at the higher level. Average scaled scores were 104 for reading and 103 for maths, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. However, only 11% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. The school's progress scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. Ofsted's ungraded inspection found that standards are being maintained, which suggests the school is stable.

Wrenthorpe Academy is a popular school, with 156 applications for 45 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, making it oversubscribed by a ratio of 3.47 to one. Of the 41 first-preference applications, 32 received offers. The school has capacity for 314 pupils and currently has 311 on roll, with a below-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 9.3%. Facilities include playing fields, a sports hall, a library, art studios and a dining hall. The school offers a range of clubs including Eco Club, Art Club and Film Club, and sports such as swimming, athletics, cricket and football. SEND support is available for a range of needs including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent views are very positive: 90% of respondents would recommend the school, and 95% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy. This school will suit families who value a stable, improving primary with strong writing outcomes and a wide range of extracurricular activities, though the combined expected standard is below the local average.

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