Primary school in Pontefract, Wakefield
Darrington Church of England Primary School
Denby Crest, Darrington, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 3SB
Ofsted
Inspected under the current framework, which gives no overall grade, on 22 October 2024.
Inspections since September 2024 do not give an overall grade, so there is no one-word judgement to report. The full report sets out what inspectors found.
Key stage 2 results 2024/25
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Reached the higher standard
Average reading score
Average maths score
On the headline measure this school is around the middle of state-funded primaries in England.
Compared with the fifth of schools whose intake is second least disadvantaged, which is where this one sits, it is in the lower half.
There are no progress measures for primary schools any more. They were calculated from a key stage 1 baseline, and statutory key stage 1 tests ended in 2023, so nothing has been published since. That makes attainment the only official measure — and attainment tracks intake closely, which is why the comparison against similar schools above is the more useful of the two lines.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 129
- Places
- 105
- How full
- Full — 129 pupils against 105 places
- Girls / boys
- 68 / 61
- Overall absence
- 6%
- Persistently absent
- 17%
primary schools average 5.2%
primary schools average 12.8% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 10%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- With an EHC plan
- 5%
- On SEN support
- 12%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Wakefield 034E, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 35%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 18%
- Households owning their home
- 83%
- Households in social housing
- 5%
- Households with no car
- 8%
- Adults economically inactive
- 49%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- Ages 3–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Yes
- Boarding
- Day school
- Trust
- DARRINGTON CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Christopher Lunn
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Ward
- Pontefract South
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- URN
- 140110
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rookeries Carleton Junior and Infant SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | 73% | 1.2 mi |
| De Lacy Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led | Outstanding 2024 | 80% | 1.3 mi |
| Cherry Tree AcademyAcademy sponsor led | Requires improvement 2024 | 49% | 1.4 mi |
| Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy converter | Good 2022 | 35% | 1.4 mi |
| Simpson's Lane AcademyAcademy converter | No grade | 84% | 1.7 mi |
| Carleton Park Junior and Infant SchoolAcademy sponsor led | No grade | 87% | 1.8 mi |
| England Lane AcademyAcademy sponsor led | Outstanding 2024 | 85% | 2.1 mi |
| St Giles C of E AcademyAcademy converter | No grade | 78% | 2.2 mi |
Schools with a similar intake
State-funded primary schools nationally whose share of disadvantaged pupils is closest to this school's. This is the fairest like-for-like comparison the published data supports.
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard |
|---|---|---|
| Meridian Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2022 | 82% |
| St William of York Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Good 2022 | 72% |
| St Mary's CofE Nursery and Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Good 2021 | 76% |
| Chalgrove Primary SchoolCommunity school | Outstanding 2022 | 86% |
| St Andrew's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School, TotteridgeVoluntary aided school | No grade | 93% |
| Trent CofE Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Outstanding 2022 | 69% |
| The Annunciation RC Junior SchoolVoluntary aided school | Outstanding 2023 | 71% |
| Beaumont Primary SchoolCommunity school | No grade | 90% |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.