Barnard Castle School
Newgate, Barnard Castle, DL12 8UN
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Christian
- Headteacher
- Mr David Cresswell
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 750
- Pupils on roll
- 558
- URN
- 114336
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01833690222
About this school
Barnard Castle School is a Christian independent school in Barnard Castle. It teaches children aged 4 to 19 and has 558 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Barnard Castle School under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Barnard Castle School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in September 1980, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 84 | 78 | 79 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.8 | 41.3 | 43.0 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 1.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 1.3% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Barnard Castle School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | County Durham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.8 | 39.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 41.3 | 38 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 43 | 38.4 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 717 |
| 2023/24 | 699 |
| 2024/25 | 659 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 8
- Pupils on SEN support
- 174
Location
Nearby schools
-
Highcroft School6.5 miles
Special schools · Bishop Auckland
-
Pear Tree School10.6 miles
Special schools · Darlington
-
Oakwood Learning Centre11.0 miles
Special schools · Darlington
-
Evergreen Primary School12.0 miles
Special schools · Bishop Auckland
-
Green Lane Church of England Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Barnard Castle
Other schools in Barnard Castle
- Bowes Hutchinson's CofE (Aided) School Primary
- Cotherstone Primary School Primary
- Green Lane Church of England Primary School Primary
- Middleton-In-Teesdale Academy Primary
- Montalbo Nursery & Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle Primary
- Teesdale School and Sixth Form Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Barnard Castle School teach?
- Barnard Castle School teaches children aged 4 to 19. It is an independent school in Barnard Castle.
- Who is the headteacher of Barnard Castle School?
- The headteacher of Barnard Castle School is Mr David Cresswell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Barnard Castle School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Barnard Castle School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How many pupils are at Barnard Castle School?
- Barnard Castle School has 558 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 19.
- Is Barnard Castle School full?
- Barnard Castle School has capacity for 750 pupils and 558 on roll (74%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Barnard Castle School a faith school?
- Yes. Barnard Castle School is designated Christian.
- How have Barnard Castle School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.8 in 2022/23 and 43 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Barnard Castle School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barnard Castle School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.