De Lacy Academy serves the ex-mining community of Knottingley, with the majority of pupils living within walking distance and coming from 6 primary schools.  The Key Stage 2 APS for every year group is significantly below national average on entry but primary performance is improving.

The academy is smaller than average, however it is growing apace. In September 2019, the 88 outgoing Year 11 students were replaced by 168 year 7 students. Number have increased exponentially for the last 5 years. The majority of families live in areas of significant deprivation. High unemployment, local urban decay and low income bases are a significant feature of our community. 

Health and disability decile          2.3                         

Employment decile                        2.6                         

Education & Skills decile               1.7                         

Index of multiple deprivation       2.7                         

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average (35.2% v 29%) as is the number currently in receipt of Free School Meals (23.5% v 12%). Pupils within the academy are mainly White British, with only 3.4% of pupils having EAL. The number of pupils with SEN support is above the national average (16.5% vs 10.6%) A small number of pupils requiring behavioural and emotional support attend the Elland Academy in Leeds, which is a registered Alternative Provision within Delta Academies Trust.

Knottingley is currently in the midst of what has been described locally as a health crisis. Wakefield has a higher proportion of people with type 2 diabetes than the national norm. Within Wakefield, Knottingley has a 9.145 prevalence of people with Non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and/or type 2 diabetes. This is both significantly above the local and national norm and is the highest in Wakefield. Knottingley also has the fastest increasing prevalence. (Source Wakefield JSNA 2018)

In England 2017-18, the proportion of children leaving Primary school carrying excess wait weight was 33.4% however, in Wakefield it was 35.1%. In Knottingley, the figure was 38.7% In addition, 24% of 11-12 year olds were classified as obese in Knottingley, against a local norm of 21%. (Source Wakefield JSNA 2018).

Life Expectancy and cause of death (Rates of death Standardised mortality rate – average = 100)

In May 2018, Knottingley Sports Centre was demolished.

Youth services, which included healthy eating and cooking tutorials in family homes, have been disbanded.

There is a growing wealth of evidence that links mental health disorders, anxiety and depression to lack of exercise and poor eating.

We serve our local community and work closely with partners to plan a set of learning experiences that meet the needs of our pupils. In addition, we use local, national and international labour market intelligence alongside local and national JSNA data, to plan courses to best prepare our young people for life beyond school. We have the highest standards and expectations for all pupils and we strive to provide a curriculum that respects the needs of all pupils as well as one that encourages young people to seek continuous development and improvement. We aim to develop, support and safeguard the academic, mental health, physical health and aspirations of our children.