SCHOOL PROFILE

Penistone Grammar School

Secondary Community school URN 106653
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,877 Published school capacity
Capacity used 103.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

3 February 2023
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community school
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Barnsley
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,946 1,946 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 970 49.8% of pupils
Male pupils 976 50.2% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

13.4%
11.4 pts below England
School 13.4%
Barnsley 29.7%
Yorkshire and The Humber 27.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

1.9%
18.4 pts below England
School 1.9%
Barnsley 8.6%
Yorkshire and The Humber 17.9%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.6%
0.4 pts below England
School 0.6%
Barnsley 0.3%
Yorkshire and The Humber 0.4%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
88.9%
1,730
Unclassified
3.5%
68
Any other White background
1.9%
37
Any other Mixed background
1.0%
20
White and Asian
1.0%
20
African
0.9%
18
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 18.7% 363 of 1,946 pupils
2.2 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 18.7%
Barnsley 20.9%
Yorkshire and The Humber 20.9%
England 20.8%
SEN support 13.2% 257 pupils
England 14.8% 1.6 pts below
EHC plans 5.5% 106 pupils
England 6.0% 0.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 105
Social, emotional & mental health 81
Specific learning difficulty 74
Moderate learning difficulty 61
Speech, language & communication 21
Physical disability 11

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

53.6 14.4 pts above England
School 53.6
Barnsley 38.5
Yorkshire and The Humber 39.9
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 59.6% England 36.0% 23.6 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 76.3% England 51.4% 24.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 49.5% England 30.6% 18.9 pts above England
EBacc average point score 4.81 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.33 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.12%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.91 pts higher than England
School 7.12%
Barnsley 6.02%
Yorkshire and The Humber 6.13%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

17.25%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

1.43 pts higher than England
School 17.25%
Barnsley 14.48%
Yorkshire and The Humber 15.55%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.64%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.84 pts higher than England
School 2.64%
Barnsley 1.88%
Yorkshire and The Humber 1.77%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

103.7% 11.4 pts above England
Penistone Grammar School
103.7%
Barnsley
96.0%
Yorkshire and The Humber
91.7%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information