Horbury Academy, Wakefield
Horbury Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Wakefield, part of Place Partnership - A Multi-Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2021. That was 5 years ago, so the rating may not reflect the school today. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 2nd-highest of the 9 schools in Wakefield with published results, and 849th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2021)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Horbury Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Horbury Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 51, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.2 in Wakefield and 47 across England.
53% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Wakefield and 47% in England.
That is up from 48.7 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.32: pupils made above 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 39.6, against 55.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Sports Studies.
Getting a place at Horbury Academy
For September 2026 entry, 234 families put Horbury Academy as their first choice and 596 named it as one of their preferences, for 198 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 43 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Horbury Academy are Ossett Academy and Sixth Form College (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.8); Trinity Academy Cathedral (1.4 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 50.9); Kettlethorpe High School (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.8); and St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy (2.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.1).
Horbury Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Ossett Academy and Sixth Form CollegeTrinity Academy CathedralKettlethorpe High SchoolSt Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School, A Voluntary Academy
The trust
Horbury Academy is one of 12 schools run by Place Partnership - A Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
93 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Horbury Academy (as of April 2026): 62% would recommend the school, 58% say their child is happy there and 39% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (65%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (39%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 228 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 84% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 54% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
6.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wakefield Westgate Rail Station, about 2.3 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Horbury Academy, 60 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Horbury Academy issued 394 suspensions, 36.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Horbury Academy are Horbury Primary Academy (0.2 miles), Horbury St Peter's and Clifton CofE (VC) Primary School (0.5 miles), Wakefield Snapethorpe Primary School (0.8 miles) and Ossett South Parade Primary (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Horbury Primary AcademyHorbury St Peter's and Clifton CofE (VC) Primary SchoolWakefield Snapethorpe Primary SchoolOssett South Parade Primary
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 9 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Horbury Academy is a high-achieving school where all pupils, including the most disadvantaged, make excellent progress. Teaching is precise and carefully adapted to individual needs, creating a calm, purposeful learning environment where behaviour is excellent and pupils are highly motivated. Staff know pupils extremely well and provide warm, supportive relationships alongside high expectations.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve excellent results and make strong progress, with disadvantaged pupils performing very well
- Teaching is highly effective with consistent expectations and carefully adapted support for individual pupils
- Behaviour is excellent with rare disruption and a calm, purposeful school environment
- Strong leadership with staff development focused on research-informed approaches
- Safeguarding is effective with an open culture where concerns are acted upon swiftly
Areas for Improvement
- Attendance is below average, especially for disadvantaged pupils whose attendance continues to decline
- Whole-school strategies to support disadvantaged pupils are not yet fully embedded
- Older pupils have less secure understanding of tolerance and respect for different cultures compared to younger pupils
- Engagement in enrichment and extra-curricular activities could be widened for more pupils
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and acted upon, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Educational visits, foreign trips, extra-curricular clubs, careers fairs, employer visits, mentoring younger pupils with reading, visiting local care homes
Horbury Academy is a strong school where pupils achieve highly, are well-taught, and benefit from a calm, purposeful learning environment. Leaders are ambitious and effective, though attendance remains below average, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
About
Horbury Academy is a mixed secondary school located in Horbury in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
27.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
93 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.32 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 49.8 to 51.0 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 53% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 51.0 | 52.9% |
| Disadvantaged(61) | - | 39.6 | 34.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(164) | - | 55.2 | 59.8% |
| Boys(114) | - | 49.8 | 50.9% |
| Girls(111) | - | 52.1 | 55% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(21) | - | 48.9 | 42.9% |
| Non mobile(217) | - | 51.8 | 54.4% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 228 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.19%
Exclusion rate
394
Suspensions
36.65%
Suspension rate
94 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,075 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Horbury Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Horbury Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Horbury Academy is in Wakefield; for families living there:
- Wakefield's school travel policy: Home To School Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 10 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 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 Horbury Academy
Will you get a place at Horbury Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Horbury Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Horbury Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Horbury Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Horbury Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wakefield 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
1,067 pupils
1,059 places
8 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wakefield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wakefield
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,300
Applications
3,912
Got 1st preference
90.7%
Got preferred school
97.3%
All secondary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
164
SEN Support
53
EHC Plans
20.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,070
Total Pupils
527
Boys
543
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
62
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£80,086
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,895
Per pupil
£7900k
Total funding
£295k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.1%
Overall absence
23.5%
Persistent absence
1,117
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
Horbury Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Horbury Academy
What are GCSE results like at Horbury Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Horbury Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 51. 53% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Horbury Academy's Ofsted rating?
Horbury Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2021, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Horbury Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Horbury Academy is oversubscribed, Wakefield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Horbury Academy?
Horbury Academy was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Horbury Academy?
Classes at Horbury Academy average 24.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Horbury Academy?
Horbury Academy has around 1070 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Horbury Academy?
10.1% of sessions were missed at Horbury Academy in 2024/25. 23.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Horbury Academy?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming Horbury 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 Horbury Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 10 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Horbury Academy?
Horbury Academy is at Wakefield Road, Horbury, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 5HE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)