OFSTED
4 June 2025
Latest ungraded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
21 January 2020
Graded inspection
Good
Published
27 February 2020
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Does not apply
Local authority
Barnsley
Trust
NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,318
1,318 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
657
49.8% of pupils
Male pupils
661
50.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
4.9 pts
above England
School
29.7%
Barnsley
29.7%
Yorkshire and The Humber
27.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
18.3 pts
below England
School
2.0%
Barnsley
8.6%
Yorkshire and The Humber
17.9%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Barnsley
0.3%
Yorkshire and The Humber
0.4%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
93.2%
1,229
Any other White background
1.7%
23
White and Black Caribbean
0.9%
12
African
0.8%
10
Any other Mixed background
0.5%
7
White and Asian
0.5%
7
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
23.3%
307 of
1,318 pupils
2.5 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
4.1 pts
above
England
6.0%
1.6 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
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
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
46.0
6.8 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.13 · 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
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
9.61%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
3.39 pts
higher than
England
School
9.61%
Barnsley
6.02%
Yorkshire and The Humber
6.13%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
25.16%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
9.35 pts
higher than
England
School
25.16%
Barnsley
14.48%
Yorkshire and The Humber
15.55%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
5.27%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
3.46 pts
higher than
England
School
5.27%
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
105.4%
13.1 pts
above England
Kirk Balk Academy
105.4%
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.