Outwood Academy Carlton
Royston Lane, Carlton, Barnsley, S71 3EW
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- OUTWOOD GRANGE ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul Taylor
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Outwood Grange Academies Trust
- 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, PD - Physical Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Barnsley North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,100
- Pupils on roll
- 1,109
- URN
- 139210
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226728494
About this school
Outwood Academy Carlton is a secondary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,109 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 215 | 219 | 213 |
| Attainment 8 score | 41.6 | 39.7 | 41.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.25 -0.44 to -0.06 | -0.25 -0.44 to -0.07 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 39% | 40.2% | 39.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 60% | 56.6% | 62.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 41% | 26.5% | 22.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
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 Outwood Academy Carlton 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 | 41.6 | 35.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 39.7 | 34.7 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41.5 | 38.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 12.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,094 |
| 2023/24 | 1,111 |
| 2024/25 | 1,130 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Outwood Academy Carlton compares
Outwood Academy Carlton ranked 8th of 10 secondary schools in Barnsley for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 44% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 4% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41.5 | 12.3% | 38.4% | 1,109 | — |
| Outwood Academy Shafton | 42 | 11.7% | 38.3% | 1,377 | 1.8 miles |
| Horizon Community College | 49.8 | 6.7% | 29.4% | 1,909 | 3.4 miles |
| Barnsley Academy | 45.1 | 9.9% | 47.7% | 874 | 3.6 miles |
| Trinity Academy St. Edwards | — | 7.3% | 25.7% | 882 | 3.6 miles |
| Darton Academy | 52.1 | 7.3% | 22.9% | 1,099 | 4.1 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)
- 38.41%
- English as an additional language
- 4.2%
- Overall absence
- 12.29%
- Persistent absence
- 30.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Outwood Academy Shafton1.8 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Horizon Community College3.4 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Barnsley Academy3.6 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Trinity Academy St. Edwards3.6 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Darton Academy4.1 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Outwood Academy Carlton ranks 7th of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Barnsley.
- Barnsley Academy Secondary
- Darton Academy Secondary
- Horizon Community College Secondary
- Kirk Balk Academy Secondary
- Netherwood Academy 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 Outwood Academy Carlton teach?
- Outwood Academy Carlton teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the headteacher of Outwood Academy Carlton?
- The headteacher of Outwood Academy Carlton is Mr Paul Taylor, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Outwood Academy Carlton last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Outwood Academy Carlton, 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 Outwood Academy Carlton?
- Outwood Academy Carlton has 1,109 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Outwood Academy Carlton full?
- Outwood Academy Carlton has capacity for 1,100 pupils and 1,109 on roll (101%), 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 Outwood Academy Carlton a faith school?
- No. Outwood Academy Carlton has no designated religious character.
- Is Outwood Academy Carlton a selective school?
- No. Outwood Academy Carlton is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Outwood Academy Carlton?
- Outwood Academy Carlton is part of OUTWOOD GRANGE ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Outwood Academy Carlton have?
- The schools register lists Outwood Academy Carlton'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; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Outwood Academy Carlton's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 41.6 in 2022/23 and 41.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Outwood Academy Carlton rank locally?
- Outwood Academy Carlton ranked 8th of 10 secondary schools in Barnsley for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 44% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 4% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Outwood Academy Carlton's absence rate?
- Outwood Academy Carlton's overall absence rate is 12.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Outwood Academy Carlton's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Outwood Academy Carlton'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.