Barnsley Academy
Farm Road, Kendray, Barnsley, S70 3DL
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Christian
- Trust
- UNITED LEARNING TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Stephen Pitcher
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- United Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Barnsley South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 874
- URN
- 131749
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226284606
About this school
Barnsley Academy is a Christian secondary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 874 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 166 | 170 | 204 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.8 | 43.0 | 45.1 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.18 -0.41 to +0.04 | -0.39 -0.61 to -0.17 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 44% | 44.1% | 44.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 57% | 63.5% | 61.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 42% | 42.4% | 44.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
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 Barnsley Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Barnsley average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 41.8 | 35.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43 | 34.7 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.1 | 38.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 907 |
| 2023/24 | 919 |
| 2024/25 | 915 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Barnsley Academy compares
Barnsley Academy ranked 5th of 10 secondary schools in Barnsley for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 58% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45.1 | 9.9% | 47.7% | 874 | — |
| Trinity Academy St. Edwards | — | 7.3% | 25.7% | 882 | 2.0 miles |
| Netherwood Academy | 42.6 | 11.1% | 37.1% | 1,229 | 2.3 miles |
| Horizon Community College | 49.8 | 6.7% | 29.4% | 1,909 | 2.3 miles |
| Kirk Balk Academy | 46 | 9.6% | 30.1% | 1,318 | 2.4 miles |
| Outwood Academy Carlton | 41.5 | 12.3% | 38.4% | 1,109 | 3.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report15 January 2025
- 28 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 47.65%
- English as an additional language
- 16.1%
- Overall absence
- 9.88%
- Persistent absence
- 25.92%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Trinity Academy St. Edwards2.0 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Netherwood Academy2.3 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Horizon Community College2.3 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Kirk Balk Academy2.4 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Outwood Academy Carlton3.6 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Barnsley Academy ranks 4th of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Barnsley.
- Darton Academy Secondary
- Horizon Community College Secondary
- Kirk Balk Academy Secondary
- Netherwood Academy Secondary
- Outwood Academy Carlton Secondary
- Outwood Academy Shafton Secondary
- Trinity Academy St. Edwards Secondary
- All Saints Academy Darfield Primary
- Athersley North Primary School Primary
- Athersley South Primary School Primary
- Bank End Primary Academy Primary
- Barugh Green Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Barnsley Academy teach?
- Barnsley Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the principal of Barnsley Academy?
- The principal of Barnsley Academy is Mr Stephen Pitcher, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Barnsley Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Barnsley Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Barnsley Academy?
- Barnsley Academy has 874 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Barnsley Academy full?
- Barnsley Academy has capacity for 900 pupils and 874 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Barnsley Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Barnsley Academy is designated Christian.
- Is Barnsley Academy a selective school?
- No. Barnsley Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Barnsley Academy?
- Barnsley Academy is part of UNITED LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Barnsley Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.8 in 2022/23 and 45.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Barnsley Academy rank locally?
- Barnsley Academy ranked 5th of 10 secondary schools in Barnsley for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 58% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Barnsley Academy's absence rate?
- Barnsley Academy's overall absence rate is 9.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Barnsley Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barnsley Academy'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.