The Forest Academy
Thornton Road, Kendray, Barnsley, S70 3NG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- WELLSPRING ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mrs Katie Pierce
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Wellspring Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Barnsley South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 253
- Pupils on roll
- 346
- URN
- 139136
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226284719
About this school
The Forest Academy is a primary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 346 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Forest Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. 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
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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- 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 | 42 | 48 | 43 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 73% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 6% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 69% | 85% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 88% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 85% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 107.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
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.
Trends over time
How The Forest 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 | 60% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 353 |
| 2023/24 | 352 |
| 2024/25 | 352 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Forest Academy compares
The Forest Academy ranked 28th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 6.1% | 39.4% | 346 | — |
| Bank End Primary Academy | 92% | 5.7% | 51.8% | 199 | 0.4 miles |
| Hunningley Primary Academy | 87% | 4.9% | 45.8% | 426 | 0.5 miles |
| The Mill Academy | 63% | 5.9% | 47.4% | 211 | 0.7 miles |
| Oakwell Rise Primary Academy | 81% | 4.9% | 47.1% | 236 | 0.7 miles |
| Worsbrough Common Primary School | 66% | 5% | 39.3% | 393 | 0.8 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 39.42%
- English as an additional language
- 21%
- Overall absence
- 6.08%
- Persistent absence
- 17.63%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bank End Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Hunningley Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
The Mill Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Oakwell Rise Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Worsbrough Common Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
The Forest Academy ranks 22nd of the 59 ranked primary schools in Barnsley.
- 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
- Birdwell Primary School Primary
- Birkwood Primary School Primary
- Brampton Cortonwood Infant School Primary
- Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Burton Road Primary School Primary
- Carlton Primary Academy Primary
- Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Forest Academy teach?
- The Forest Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the principal of The Forest Academy?
- The principal of The Forest Academy is Mrs Katie Pierce, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Forest Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Forest 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 many pupils are at The Forest Academy?
- The Forest Academy has 346 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is The Forest Academy full?
- The Forest Academy has capacity for 253 pupils and 346 on roll (137%), so it is at or above 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 The Forest Academy a faith school?
- No. The Forest Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does The Forest Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Forest Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is The Forest Academy part of an academy trust?
- The Forest Academy is part of WELLSPRING ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Forest Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Forest Academy compare with other schools in Barnsley?
- The Forest Academy ranked 28th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Forest Academy's absence rate?
- The Forest Academy's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Forest Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Forest 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 1 July 2026.