Outwood Academy City, Sheffield
Outwood Academy City is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Sheffield, part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 22nd-highest of the 35 schools in Sheffield with published results, and 2,311th of 3,298 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Sheffield (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Outwood Academy City in detail
Outwood Academy City in its own words
Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 5 January 2027 at 4pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Sheffield
Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Outwood Academy City averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Sheffield and 47 across England.
43% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Sheffield and 47% in England.
That is up from 40.4 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.51: pupils made well 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 34.8, against 48.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.8 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.
Getting a place at Outwood Academy City
For September 2026 entry, 191 families put Outwood Academy City as their first choice and 327 named it as one of their preferences, for 237 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 Outwood Academy City are Handsworth Grange Community Sports College (1.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 39.6); The Birley Academy (1.3 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 41.5); Sheffield Park Academy (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.4); and Sheffield Springs Academy (1.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.4).
Outwood Academy City's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Handsworth Grange Community Sports CollegeThe Birley AcademySheffield Park AcademySheffield Springs Academy
The trust
Outwood Academy City is one of 40 schools run by Outwood Grange Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.4 in 2024/25.
What parents say
137 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Outwood Academy City (as of September 2025): 68% would recommend the school, 74% say their child is happy there and 44% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (77%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (44%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 229 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 76% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 56% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
44.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (67%), Mixed (10%) and Black (10%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Hackenthorpe Platform to Halfway, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Stradbroke Road/Stradbroke Drive (adjacent), 70 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Outwood Academy City issued 789 suspensions, 67 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 16 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Outwood Academy City are Woodhouse West Primary School (0.3 miles), Stradbroke Primary School (0.5 miles), Birley Spa Primary Academy (0.8 miles) and Ballifield Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Woodhouse West Primary SchoolStradbroke Primary SchoolBirley Spa Primary AcademyBallifield Primary School
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); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2019, 7 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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Outwood Academy City provides excellent pastoral care in a safe, inclusive community where pupils are proud of their diversity. Teachers deliver an ambitious, well-planned curriculum including support for reading and special needs pupils. New leadership is actively improving the school culture and pupils have good relationships with staff.
Key Strengths
- Well-sequenced, ambitious curriculum taught by subject specialists with clear delivery expectations
- Effective support for reading and pupils with SEND who learn the curriculum well
- Strong pastoral care and inclusive school community where pupils feel safe
- Effective safeguarding arrangements that prioritize pupil wellbeing
- Committed leadership at all levels with clear vision for pupil achievement
Areas for Improvement
- Too many pupils are persistently absent, which impacts their access to the school's high-quality education
- Some pupils disrupt lessons and behave inappropriately at social times, making other pupils uncomfortable
- Inconsistencies in how the curriculum is delivered across different subjects mean some pupils learn better in some areas than others
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective with strong pastoral care, staff who know pupils well, and decisions made in pupils' best interests.
Extracurricular Activities
Musical theatre club, sports clubs, charity fundraising events, junior leadership team
Outwood Academy City is an improving and inclusive secondary school with high-quality pastoral care and an ambitious curriculum. New leadership has begun to transform school culture, though behaviour and attendance remain areas needing further development.
About
Outwood Academy City is a co-educational secondary school with academy status located on Stradbroke Road in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.. Until 2014 it was known as The City School.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
44.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
137 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 remained stable at around -0.51 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 41.4 to 42.1 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 37% to 43% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 42.1 | 43.2% |
| Disadvantaged(100) | - | 34.8 | 28% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(113) | - | 48.6 | 56.6% |
| Boys(108) | - | 39.5 | 39.8% |
| Girls(105) | - | 44.8 | 46.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(24) | - | 50.8 | 45.8% |
| Non mobile(210) | - | 42.1 | 43.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 229 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
16
Permanent exclusions
1.36%
Exclusion rate
789
Suspensions
67.03%
Suspension rate
203 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,177 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Outwood Academy City
Term dates
Outwood Academy City is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Sheffield's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Outwood Academy City from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Outwood Academy City is in Sheffield; for families living there:
- Sheffield's school travel policy: Home to School Travel and Transport Policy September 2023
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 3
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, 9 serious and 8 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
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 Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 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 Outwood Academy City
Will you get a place at Outwood Academy City? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Outwood Academy City's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Outwood Academy City:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Outwood Academy City.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Sheffield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Outwood Academy City for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Sheffield 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
98%
Near capacity
1,174 pupils
1,200 places
26 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sheffield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sheffield
Across Sheffield council
Places available
6,421
Applications
6,416
Got 1st preference
88.7%
Got preferred school
96.6%
All secondary applications across Sheffield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
193
SEN Support
41
EHC Plans
20.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,138
Total Pupils
584
Boys
554
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
65
Teachers
17.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,629
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,684
Per pupil
£9788k
Total funding
£534k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
12.3%
Overall absence
31.3%
Persistent absence
1,258
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
Outwood Academy City
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Outwood Academy City
What are GCSE results like at Outwood Academy City?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Outwood Academy City achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.1. 43% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Outwood Academy City's Ofsted rating?
Outwood Academy City's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Outwood Academy City?
No fixed boundary. When Outwood Academy City is oversubscribed, Sheffield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Outwood Academy City?
Outwood Academy City was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Outwood Academy City?
Classes at Outwood Academy City average 23.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Outwood Academy City?
Outwood Academy City has around 1138 pupils on roll. 44% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Outwood Academy City?
12.3% of sessions were missed at Outwood Academy City in 2024/25. 31.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Outwood Academy City?
Apply through Sheffield's coordinated admissions process, naming Outwood Academy City 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 Outwood Academy City?
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, 9 serious and 8 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 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 Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Outwood Academy City?
Outwood Academy City is at Stradbroke Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S13 8SS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)