Burberry Inspire
We are very privileged, as one of only four schools nationwide, to have been invited to take part in the exciting Burberry Inspire Project. This 4 year long programme will see every pupil in Key Stage 3 have the …
Thu20Dec
News
Thu13Dec
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The staff and students at Airedale Academy would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. …
Wed12Dec
STAFF STRIKE BACK AT ESCAPE ROOM!
Airedale Academy's staff and three ex-students came back strong in the second escape room trip of the year to take on five extremely talented Year 11 students at The Escapologist in Xscape on 11th December. The aim was to …
Fri09Nov
History brought to life by staff to mark Remembrance Day
Staff at Airedale Academy have got into the spirit of our Remembrance 100 activities this week by arriving at school today in historical costume. Mrs Gale, Mr Miller and Mrs Cox dressed up to represent key figures in …
Mon05Nov
Students Beat the Staff at the Escape Room!
Seven Year 11 students visited the Escapologist in Xscape during half-term to take on our staff and four ex-students in a ‘staff vs students’ showdown. The seven Year 11 students ventured into an arctic-themed …
Mon05Nov
Students see Mr Billings in Hairspray!
Thirty-Five lucky students with five excited members of staff boarded the coach on Friday 2nd November to visit Harrogate Theatre where Mr Billings has been starring in the hit musical, Hairspray. He played the role of …
Wed24Oct
Forensic Scientists for the Day!
Thirteen Year 9 students embarked on an exciting forensics trip to Alton Towers on Tuesday 23rd October. With the help of PhD students from Staffordshire University, our students took part in a forensic investigation. At the …
Thu11Oct
Airedale Academy wins a National Award for work tackling underage drinking
Airedale Academy is excited to announce that we have been awarded the Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP) award for Excellence in Education. Our very own Principal, Liz Fairhurst, headed to Cardiff this …
Fri05Oct
Year 11 Pie, Peas & Progression!
We would like to welcome all Year 11 students as well as their parents and carers to our amazing Year 11 Progreesion Evening. Why not come along to our free Pie & Pea Supper and hear from our exhibitors who will have lots …
Mon24Sep
Airedale Academy Open Evening
Are you looking for a a place in Year 7 for next academic year or for a place in Sixth Form? Please come along to our open evening on Wednesday 3rd October between 3.30pm and 7.30pm. There will be presentations …
Wed19Sep
Castleford Tigers and Airedale Academy link up to provide innovative new sports education pathway
A ground-breaking education partnership between Castleford Tigers and Airedale Academy has hit the town, with the launch of the Tigers College of Rugby League. The new enterprise has been established to allow 16-18 …
Thu13Sep
Duke of Edinburgh Scheme comes to Airedale Academy!
We are very excited about an amazing opportunity for students in Y9 and Y10 to take part in the bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh award. Students in these year groups will be hearing more in assemblies this week to launch this …
Tue04Sep
Long-awaited refurbishment of school canteen revealed
Following months of planning, the refurbished canteen and cafe areas have been revealed to students for the first time today. The canteen has been extended into an adjacent room to provide additional seating for the …
Fri24Aug
GCSE Results 2018
GCSE Results 2018 At a time of much change in the world of exams, Airedale Academy is able to celebrate an increased percentage in students achieving both a standard pass (grade 4+) and a good pass (grade 5+) in both English and …
Wed01Aug
Canteen upgrade works are underway!
Work has started on the refurbishment and extension of the canteen ready for September. The wall between the canteen and old cover area has been removed and the decoraters are in freshening everything up with a new vibrant …
Mon23Jul
Update on payment for Florida trip
Parent/carers of the Florida trip: The July payment was due on the 21 July and the August payment is due on 21 August. The August payment can be paid online during the holidays or in cash the first day back in September. …
Mon09Jul
Supporting young people to access higher education: views of parents and carers wanted
Parents and carers are being invited to participate in a survey about how Go Higher West Yorkshire can support them to support their child. Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) are passionate about helping people make the …
Tue03Jul
Is there a (budding) doctor in the house?
Yesterday some very lucky Y9 and Y10s got to experience what it might be like to have a career in medicine, taking part in workshops delivered by Medical Mavericks about the different careers available post 16. Beth, a 3rd year …
Mon02Jul
Attendance Week 16-20 July 2018
Regular attendance at school is vital to help children achieve and get the best possible start in life. Children who frequently miss school often fall behind. There is a strong link between good …
Thu28Jun
Students celebrate end of exams at Y11 prom
Y11 students from Airedale Academy celebrated the end of their GCSEs in glorious sunshine at the Y11 Prom last night. Held at King's Croft, Pontefract, students arrived in style - including in a …
Wed27Jun
'Move It' dance showcase performs to sell-out crowd
Our outstanding annual dance showcase ‘Move It’ took place last night. Over 240 amazing students from Year 7 to Year 13 were involved and they stunned the sell-out audience with their many …
Wed27Jun
Northern Ambition schools welcome exchange teacher from Ghana
We were delighted to welcome a special visitor into school today - Eric, from Ghana. Eric is in the country on a teacher exchange programme with Airedale Junior School, another school in our Northern …
Fri15Jun
Local MP praises The Cast while raising awareness about student finance
Local MP Yvette Cooper visited school today to see The Cast’s latest Theatre in Education production . Following the performance, Ms Cooper commented: ‘Wow, what a performance from sixth form …
Fri15Jun
Airedale 'Drops Everything' to Read during Literacy Week
It's been an exciting week this week as we've celebrated Literacy Week with some fabulous events. Along with our 'Drop Everything and Read' session, in which the entire school stopped what they were …
Wed13Jun
Students get a taste of music opportunities in HE
Today some Year 9 and 10 GCSE music students took part in a taster day at Leeds College of Music. The day involved taking part in a percussion workshop and a campus tour. All the students thoroughly enjoyed the day. with …
Sat09Jun
Airedale student wins Tim Henman Unsung Heroes Award
We always knew our students were heroes, but we had it confirmed by Tim Henman yesterday, when our very own Mackenzie Millington collected her award for being one of Wakefield’s ‘Unsung …
Wed06Jun
Students get taste of life in construction
As part of the National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP), some of our students have taken part in an exciting project co-delivered by Go Higher West Yorkshire and national house builders Keepmoat Homes. The …
Tue29May
Students pit their wits against one another in submarine escape challenge
Eight students and two staff took part in the first head-to-head Escape Room, 'Submerged', at The Great Escape in Leeds yesterday. The aim of the game was to work as a team to escape the abandoned submarines in …
Mon14May
Dates confirmed for Y11 May Half Term revisions sessions
Y11 students who would like some more support preparing for GCSE exams are invited into school during Spring Bank for subject-specific revision sessions. Subjects, dates and times can be found on this website …
Sun29Apr
Students complete 13-hour, 26 mile Three Peaks Trek to raise £2,100 for Cancer Research!
At 3.30 am on a cold Saturday morning, 13 students from Y11 departed for the Hill Inn at Chapel-le-Dale. After a quick pitstop in Hawes, we arrived at just after 6.10am. We met our expert guide, Heather, who gave us a rundown of the …
Fri20Apr
Three Peaks hopefuls hit the press
Our Three Peaks Challenge has been featured in the Pontefract and Castleford Express! You can read the full article here …
Thu12Apr
Sparking students interest in electricity generation at Drax power station
As GCSEs loom for Y11s, students from Airedale Academy visited Drax power station, the UK's largest coal-powered station, to see how electricity is generated using biomass and coal. After being given security …
Thu05Apr
Students clock up 12 miles in final Three Peaks training walk
As preparations continue for the Three Peaks, our Y11 students walked just over 12 miles around Pontefract Park and Newmillerdam. Today's training concentrated on long distance walking without stopping. We aimed …
Wed04Apr
St Cuthbert's trophy is returned in the nick of time!
Students spent Wednesday afternoon of the half-term holiday trying to solve the mystery of the missing trophy at St. Cuthbert's School. Along they way, they had some difficult challenges to solve and codes to crack, …
Sun01Apr
Students conquer Pendle Hill as preparation for Three Peaks continues
Eleven students and two members of staff set off early on Good Friday morning to Pendle in Barley, situated on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Upon arrival, they were met by their expert guide, Heather, and …
Wed28Mar
The Cast storm to another hit with their performance of 'Ghost'
Airedale's Sixth Form performing arts students triumphed yet again this week with their emotive and professional production of 'Ghost'. Performing to near sell out audiences every night, the rotating …
Mon26Mar
Star-struck students meet astronaut Rick Mastracchio
Three students from Airedale Academy had the chance to meet former NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio at the Space Lectures event held in Pontefract on Saturday 24 March. Rick has flown on three NASA Space Shuttle missions as a …
Mon26Mar
Academy Council members conduct Skype interview with John Bercow
Airedale Academy student council have taken part in a Skype conversation with the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, this morning. They asked him over 20 questions which included "What advice would he …
Fri23Mar
Change to school calendar - Summer Term
Please note that there will be a slight change to the calendar at the end of term. We will hold one Whole School Activity Day on Monday 23 July in lieu of the reward days initially planned for the 16 & 17 …
Thu22Mar
Students Crack Codes in Escape Room
Three intrepid teams of Y11 students attended Locked In Games in Leeds last night to take on the three escape rooms: The Nursery, The Hospital and Narnia. All three teams managed to crack all the codes in less than the hour …
Tue20Mar
Attendance Week 26-29 March
Regular attendance at school is vital to help children achieve and get the best possible start in life. Children who frequently miss school often fall behind. There is a strong link between good …
Thu15Mar
Pupils make a 'Big Bang' in Birmingham!
A group of students and members of the Science department visited the Big Bang Show in Birmingham yesterday. It certainly started off with a Bang! Amongst other things, students watched ‘Gastronaut, the …
Wed14Mar
Students offered chance to see Space Shuttle on trip to Florida
Students are being offered the opportunity to participate in a fantastic trip to Florida to see the Space Shuttle and visit some of the state's other attractions. The trip, which is open to students in current years …
Fri09Mar
Airedale awarded Beacon status for work on anti-bullying
Airedale Academy has been successful in our bid to become a Beacon School for the Barnardos Anti-Homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic bullying programme. The award is recognition for our commitment and hard work in …
Mon05Mar
Students prepare for Three Peaks challenge to raise money for Cancer Research
A dedicated group of Y11 students are planning to complete the Three Peaks Challenge, while raising money to donate to Cancer Research. Everyone in the group is undertaking the challenge in memory of loved ones who have …
Fri02Mar
Dauntless Y11s brave freezing conditions for English masterclass
We have had a superb GCSE English masterclass in the theatre today! Well done to the 70 Y11 students who made it in to school despite the icy conditions, and to Mrs Richmond for her fantastic revision session! …
Sun25Feb
Three Peaks conquered by fundraising students
Students set off from school at 3.30am yesterday morning to take on The Three Peaks as part of the fundraising efforts of The Cast! After a 7am briefing from our mountain leader guide, Esther, 12 students and staff scaled …
Fri23Feb
Airedale students lead the way on a new project tackling underage drinking!
Some of our students are taking part in a new community initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of “proxy sales”, where adults buy alcohol for under-18s. Today, students - supported by teachers, local …
Tue20Feb
Students experience action-packed Iceland adventure
On Sunday 11 February 43 students and 7 members of staff set off on an adventure of a lifetime to Iceland. However, we were told when we reached the airport that Keflavik airport was closed, because of high winds and we …
Thu15Feb
Y7 demonstrate Academy values during Ullswater expedition
Y7 students took part in a fantastic Outward Bounds experience at Ullswater in the Lake District! Students experienced a range of activities based around our Academy Values of respect, bravery and ambition. The …
Tue13Feb
Herd Farm revision trip promotes bravery and ambition
Y11 students and dedicated staff gave up some of their half term holiday for revision, mud and a healthy dose of ambition! Pupils took part in an English and Maths residential at Herd Farm funded by NCOP as part of our …
Thu08Feb
Pupils demonstrate communication and code-breaking skills
A number of Y11 have enjoyed a fantastic team-building experience at Locked In Games in Leeds - an escape room in which they had 1 hour to crack all the codes and escape... Group 1 was led by Miss Kershaw; they had to …
Tue06Feb
Bake sale raises funds and awareness of LGBT issues
Our bake sale to raise awareness during LGBT month has been a huge success! Thanks to all those students and staff who contributed a variety of fabulous cakes - Yum! …
Fri02Feb
Y11 students invited to apply for National Citizen Service residential
Thank you to Dom and Alice from the National Citizen Service for coming into Year 11 assembly today to launch their amazing 3 week residential in the summer holidays. Parents of Year 11, please ask your child about this amazing …
Thu25Jan
Cas Tigers rugby coaching for Y7 and Y8
Forty of our Y7 and Y8 students got to experience an amazing Castleford Tigers Elite Rugby Coaching session today. The coaches were impressed, as were the students! Well done. …
Wed24Jan
Joint campaign by Airedale schools for permanent crossing on Sheepwalk Lane
Around a year ago, Wakefield Council said that it would no longer be funding the School Crossing Patrol at the junction of Poplar Avenue/Gypsy Lane and Sheepwalk Lane from 1 April 2017, a crossing that is used by many pupils, …
Fri19Jan
Careers fair great success according students and parents
Our careers fair held this week for students from Y9 to Y13 and their parents/carers was a huge success. Feedback from the providers has been really positive, stating what a pleasure it had been to come to the academy. Students …
Wed17Jan
Sponsorship by local companies funds new rugby kit
A huge thank you to JJC Groundwork’s and Phelan’s Convenience Store for sponsoring our girls rugby team, allowing us to get an amazing brand new kit. THANK YOU!! …
Fri12Jan
Sixth form success
Year 13 students recently visited Leeds Beckett University's Headingley campus to receive their Progression Module awards. They had a great day and were amazing advocates for the school. …