Wakefield Central

Summary

Wakefield Central (E02002454) is part of Wakefield local authority (view on map). Wakefield Central has an approximate population of 9,400 people, of which 18% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".

Wakefield Central neighbours Outwood East, Stanley, Moorhouse & Bottomboat, Outwood West, Wakefield St John's, Eastmoor, Thornes, and Agbrigg & Belle Isle.

Headlines

  • 9% of pupils are receiving SEN support, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England – see more.
  • 51% of pupils have a first language known or believed to be other than English, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England – see more.
Guidance and data sources

Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.

The data displayed is sourced from:

Deprivation

Wakefield Central is the 24th least deprived area in Wakefield (out of 45) with 41% of children living in low-income families, compared to 40% across Wakefield and 38% nationally.

Data source

State-funded pupil characteristics

Information acquired from the school census.

Free school meals

In Wakefield Central, 20% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 28% in Wakefield and 27% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

Table showing the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

% in Wakefield Central % in Wakefield % in England
Eligible for free school meals 20% 28% 27%
Not eligible for free school meals 80% 72% 73%

Data source

Special educational needs

In Wakefield Central, 13% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 21% in Wakefield, and 19% nationally.

This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.

9% of pupils are receiving SEN support, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England .

Contents

Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

Table showing the percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

% in Wakefield Central % in Wakefield % in England
No special educational needs 88% 79% 81%
Receiving special educational needs support 9% 15% 14%
With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) 4% 6% 5%

Data source

Ethnicity

In Wakefield Central, 65% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 16% in Wakefield, and 33% nationally.

Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.

Contents

Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups

Table

% in Wakefield Central % in Wakefield % in England
White 33% 83% 67%
Asian 43% 6% 14%
Black 12% 4% 7%
Mixed 6% 4% 7%
Other 4% 1% 3%
Not known 3% 1% 2%

Data source

English as an additional language

The percentage of pupils in Wakefield Central with English as an additional language is 51%, compared with 13% in Wakefield, and 22% nationally.

Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.

51% of pupils have a first language known or believed to be other than English, placing it in the top 10% of all areas in England.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language

Table

% in Wakefield Central % in Wakefield % in England
Known or believed to be other than English 51% 13% 22%
Known or believed to be English 49% 87% 78%

Data source

Provider information

Jump to:

Registered childcare providers

Wakefield Central has 12 registered childcare providers.

Type Number in Wakefield Central
All childcare providers 12
Childminders 2
Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care 10

In Wakefield Central, there has been 1 full inspection of childcare providers since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Under the renewed education inspection framework, childcare providers are evaluated on the following areas:

  • Achievement
  • Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
  • Children's welfare and wellbeing
  • Curriculum and teaching
  • Inclusion
  • Leadership and governance

We use a 5-point scale to grade different areas of a provider’s work. The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:

  • Exceptional
  • Strong standard
  • Expected standard
  • Needs attention
  • Urgent improvement

Achievement: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Children's welfare and well-being: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Curriculum and teaching: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Inclusion: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

Leadership and governance: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).

The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of childcare providers in Wakefield Central. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.

Contents

All childcare

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 1 0 0 1 0 0
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines 1 0 0 1 0 0
Children's welfare and well-being 1 0 0 1 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 1 0 0 1 0 0
Inclusion 1 0 0 1 0 0
Leadership and governance 1 0 0 1 0 0

Childminders

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement
Achievement 1 0 0 1 0 0
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines 1 0 0 1 0 0
Children's welfare and well-being 1 0 0 1 0 0
Curriculum and teaching 1 0 0 1 0 0
Inclusion 1 0 0 1 0 0
Leadership and governance 1 0 0 1 0 0

Full day care

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Sessional day care

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Out-of-school day care

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Other childcare

Number of inspections Exceptional Strong standard Expected standard Needs attention Urgent improvement

Data source

State-funded schools

Wakefield Central has 4 state-funded schools.

Type Number in Wakefield Central
All state-funded schools 4
Nursery schools 0
Primary and all-through schools 4
Secondary and all-through schools 0
Special schools 0
Registered alternative provision 0

There have been no inspections of schools in Wakefield Central since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data sources: