Barnsley Academy, Barnsley
Barnsley Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Barnsley, part of United Learning Trust. It has a Christian religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 7th-highest of the 10 schools in Barnsley with published results, and 2,410th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Barnsley (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Barnsley Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Barnsley Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 41.8 in Barnsley and 47 across England.
36% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Barnsley and 47% in England.
That is down from 45.1 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.39: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 33.9, against 49 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, French and History.
Getting a place at Barnsley Academy
For September 2026 entry, 138 families put Barnsley Academy as their first choice and 335 named it as one of their preferences, for 168 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Barnsley Academy are Trinity Academy St. Edwards (2 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 53.4); Netherwood Academy (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41); Horizon Community College (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49); and Kirk Balk Academy (2.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.4).
Barnsley Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Trinity Academy St. EdwardsNetherwood AcademyHorizon Community CollegeKirk Balk Academy
The trust
Barnsley Academy is one of 98 schools run by United Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49 in 2024/25.
What parents say
83 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Barnsley Academy (as of September 2025): 57% would recommend the school, 63% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (68%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (47%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 170 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 81% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Who goes there
49.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Barnsley Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Access Road/Barnsley Academy (adjacent), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Barnsley Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 245 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Barnsley (121), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Barnsley Academy issued 625 suspensions, 68.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Barnsley Academy are Bank End Primary Academy (0.1 miles), The Forest Academy (0.4 miles), The Mill Academy (0.5 miles) and Hunningley Primary Academy (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Bank End Primary AcademyThe Forest AcademyThe Mill AcademyHunningley Primary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Barnsley Academy creates a welcoming environment where most pupils behave well, attend regularly, and achieve strong results. The school goes beyond the classroom to provide rich experiences such as musical instrument learning for Year 7, visits to places of worship and Parliament, and student ambassador roles. Teachers receive excellent training and adapt their lessons to help all pupils access the curriculum and build on what they have already learned.
Key Strengths
- High-quality teaching with strong staff training and consistent use of effective strategies to help pupils remember key knowledge
- Effective systems for identifying and supporting pupils with additional needs, including those who struggle with reading
- Significant improvements in pupil behaviour and attendance, with calm lessons enabling better focus on learning
- Wide range of enriching activities and opportunities that enhance pupils' education
Areas for Improvement
- Some staff explanations lack clarity, making it difficult for pupils to apply information effectively in their own work
- Inconsistent achievement between different groups of pupils and across subjects
- Attendance rates have historically been too high and improvements need to be sustained
- Communication with some parents needs strengthening so concerns are addressed more consistently
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Year 7 musical instrument learning, visits to places of worship, visits to Houses of Parliament, student ambassador roles
Barnsley Academy is a welcoming and vibrant secondary school that has maintained good standards since its previous inspection in 2020. The school is aspirational for pupil achievement and provides a wide range of enriching opportunities.
About
Barnsley Academy is a secondary school in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. The school opened in September 2006.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
49.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
83 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.18 to -0.39 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 41.8 to 41.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 44% to 36% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 41.6 | 35.5% |
| Disadvantaged(83) | - | 33.9 | 21.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(86) | - | 49.0 | 48.8% |
| Boys(89) | - | 39.0 | 30.3% |
| Girls(80) | - | 44.5 | 41.3% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(28) | - | 54.9 | 57.1% |
| Non mobile(161) | - | 42.1 | 37.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 4 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 170 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
7
Permanent exclusions
0.77%
Exclusion rate
625
Suspensions
68.31%
Suspension rate
137 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 915 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Barnsley Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Barnsley Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Barnsley Academy is in Barnsley; for families living there:
Apply to Barnsley for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 14 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Barnsley is 11 (the median across 96 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Barnsley Academy
Will you get a place at Barnsley Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Barnsley Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Barnsley Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Barnsley Academy.
- Barnsley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Barnsley Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Barnsley Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Barnsley got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
908 pupils
900 places
8 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Barnsley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Barnsley
Across Barnsley council
Places available
2,717
Applications
2,653
Got 1st preference
91.0%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Barnsley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(14)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
122
SEN Support
40
EHC Plans
18.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
874
Total Pupils
427
Boys
447
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
46
Teachers
19.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,413
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,744
Per pupil
£7696k
Total funding
£449k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.9%
Overall absence
25.9%
Persistent absence
953
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Barnsley Academy
Showing 10 of 13 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Barnsley Academy
What are GCSE results like at Barnsley Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Barnsley Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.6. 36% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Barnsley Academy's Ofsted rating?
Barnsley Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Barnsley Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Barnsley Academy is oversubscribed, Barnsley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Barnsley Academy?
Barnsley Academy was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Barnsley Academy?
Classes at Barnsley Academy average 25.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Barnsley Academy?
Barnsley Academy has around 874 pupils on roll. 49% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Barnsley Academy?
9.9% of sessions were missed at Barnsley Academy in 2024/25. 25.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Barnsley Academy?
Apply through Barnsley's coordinated admissions process, naming Barnsley Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Barnsley Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 14 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Barnsley is 11 (the median across 96 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Barnsley Academy?
Barnsley Academy is at Farm Road, Kendray, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 3DL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)