SCHOOL PROFILE

Netherwood Academy

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 143907
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,600 Published school capacity
Capacity used 76.8% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

12 March 2024
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Requires improvement
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Barnsley
Trust ASTREA ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 1,229 1,229 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 583 47.4% of pupils
Male pupils 646 52.6% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

37.9%
13.1 pts above England
School 37.9%
Barnsley 29.7%
Yorkshire and The Humber 27.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

10.3%
10.0 pts below England
School 10.3%
Barnsley 8.6%
Yorkshire and The Humber 17.9%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.9%
0.9 pts above England
School 1.9%
Barnsley 0.3%
Yorkshire and The Humber 0.4%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
83.7%
1,029
Any other White background
6.8%
83
African
4.6%
57
Any other Mixed background
0.8%
10
Indian
0.8%
10
White and Asian
0.6%
7
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 17.4% 214 of 1,229 pupils
3.4 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 17.4%
Barnsley 20.9%
Yorkshire and The Humber 20.9%
England 20.8%
SEN support 13.8% 170 pupils
England 14.8% 1.0 pts below
EHC plans 3.6% 44 pupils
England 6.0% 2.5 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 61
Social, emotional & mental health 56
Speech, language & communication 38
Moderate learning difficulty 27
Specific learning difficulty 20
Hearing impairment 7

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

42.6 3.4 pts above England
School 42.6
Barnsley 38.5
Yorkshire and The Humber 39.9
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 39.3% England 36.0% 3.3 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 62.0% England 51.4% 10.6 pts above England
EBacc entry 37.2% England 30.6% 6.6 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.87 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.41 · 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

11.13%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.91 pts higher than England
School 11.13%
Barnsley 6.02%
Yorkshire and The Humber 6.13%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

31.18%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

15.36 pts higher than England
School 31.18%
Barnsley 14.48%
Yorkshire and The Humber 15.55%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

7.59%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

5.79 pts higher than England
School 7.59%
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

76.8% 15.5 pts below England
Netherwood Academy
76.8%
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