Barndale School
Howling Lane, Alnwick, NE66 1DQ
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Mark Phillips
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- North Northumberland
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 120
- Pupils on roll
- 110
- URN
- 122384
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01665602541
About this school
Barndale School is a community special school in Alnwick. It teaches children aged 4 to 19 and has 110 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Barndale School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 10% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 10% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 10% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -10.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -10.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -10.80 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
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 Barndale 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 | Northumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 54.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 52.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 56% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 69 |
| 2023/24 | 69 |
| 2024/25 | 90 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 57.65%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 10.06%
- Persistent absence
- 35.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ncea Harry Hotspur Church of England Primary School0.0 miles
Primary · Alnwick
-
Swansfield Park Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Alnwick
-
St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Alnwick0.8 miles
Primary · Alnwick
-
The Duchess's Community High School1.3 miles
Secondary · Alnwick
-
Shilbottle Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Alnwick
Other schools in Alnwick
- Branton Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Embleton Vincent Edwards Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hipsburn Primary School Primary
- Longhoughton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ncea Harry Hotspur Church of England Primary School Primary
- Shilbottle Primary School Primary
- St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Alnwick Primary
- Swansfield Park Primary School Primary
- Whittingham Church of England Primary School Primary
- The Duchess's Community High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Barndale School teach?
- Barndale School teaches children aged 4 to 19. It is a special school in Alnwick.
- Who is the headteacher of Barndale School?
- The headteacher of Barndale School is Mr Mark Phillips, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Barndale School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Barndale School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Barndale School?
- Barndale School has 110 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 19.
- Is Barndale School full?
- Barndale School has capacity for 120 pupils and 110 on roll (92%), 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 Barndale School a faith school?
- No. Barndale School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Barndale School have?
- The schools register lists Barndale School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; HI - Hearing Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Barndale School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Barndale School's absence rate?
- Barndale School's overall absence rate is 10.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Barndale School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barndale 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 30 June 2026.