Airedale Infant Academy and Castleford Academy Trust have adopted and follow the school admission arrangements of our local authority, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council (WMDC).
All applications for places in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 must be completed and submitted to Wakefield Council School Admissions Team who will process your application on our behalf.
In addition to our main school year groups, Airedale Infant Academy is delighted to have a 78 place Nursery (Lower Foundation Stage) where 39 children can attend 15 hours in the morning and 39 can attend 15 hours in the afternoon. Applications for places in our Nursery are made directly to the academy through our main office. We currently have a waiting list for places so we would recommend applying as soon as possible. Children are eligible to start at Nursery the term after their third birthday. We offer intakes three times per year, one at the start of Autumn Term (September), one at the start of Spring Term (January) and one at the start of Summer Term (March/April depending on where Easter falls). For further information please contact our main office or refer to our Early Years Admission Policy available to download below.
School and Nursery place applications must be made by someone with legal Parental Responsibility for a child. All applications will be treated fairly and school places will be allocated in accordance with the relevant published admissions criteria. Our planned admissions numbers for the 2025/2026 academic year are 60 pupils per year group in main school and 78 in Nursery. By law, no Foundation Stage or Key Stage 1 class can contain more than 30 children, this is called the Infant Class Size Initiative.
Pupil Admissions Number (PAN): 180
Visits to our academy are warmly welcome, for further information on school admissions at Airedale Infant Academy or to arrange a visit, please contact Ms V Till by calling 01977 519281 or emailing aioffice@aia.castlefordtrust.co.uk
Applications for Reception to start in September 2026. If your child turns 4 before the 31st August 2026 you will need to make an online application for a Reception School Place. The Parent Portal will open on the 1st November 2025 and remain open until the national closing date for on-time applications on the 15th January 2026. The national offer date is yet to be confirmed but it is usually around Easter time (March/April). The Wakefield Council online application system is for Wakefield Residents only, if you are not a Wakefield resident, please contact the local authority where you live.
Please click the link to be redirected to Wakefield Council’s Primary Guide for School Admissions Applications – Primary Guide for Parents 2025 and 2026
Mid/In Year Transfer Applications. If you would like to apply for a place at Airedale Infant Academy either during our current academic year, or at the end of the year when there is not normally a transfer to another school, please contact Wakefield Council’s School Admissions Team or our main academy office to request a paper application form. The application form is made up of two parts, Part A should be completed by a parent or carer and Part B should be completed by your child’s current school, academy or education provider. Completed applications, along with any supporting documentation, must be submitted to Wakefield Council School Admissions Team. Applications will only be processed once School Admissions have received both completed parts of an application and aim to allocate a school place within 15 school days.
School Admission Appeals Following submission and processing of an admissions application, you will receive notification of the outcome. This may be an offer of a place at your first preference choice or an offer at a lower preference choice. If your child has been refused a place at a school that you have indicated as a preference on your application form, then you have the right to an appeal against this decision. Wakefield Council School Admissions Team will manage school place appeals on our behalf.
Wakefield Council School Admissions Team Please find herewith contact details for the Admissions Team at Wakefield Council:-
School Admissions Wakefield Council PO Box 700 Burton Street Wakefield WF1 2EB Telephone: – 01924 306052 Email: – admissions@wakefield.gov.uk