Kirk Balk Academy
West Street, Hoyland, Barnsley, S74 9HX
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Hayley Craddock
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Northern Education Trust
- Constituency
- Barnsley South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,250
- Pupils on roll
- 1,318
- URN
- 140979
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226742286
About this school
Kirk Balk Academy is a secondary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,318 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 | 262 | 255 | 256 |
| Attainment 8 score | 50.7 | 46.8 | 46.0 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.17 0.00 to +0.35 | -0.13 -0.30 to +0.05 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 59% | 50.2% | 54.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 70.6% | 71.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 42% | 40.4% | 42.2% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.2 | 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 Kirk Balk 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 | 50.7 | 35.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 46.8 | 34.7 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 46 | 38.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,332 |
| 2023/24 | 1,333 |
| 2024/25 | 1,327 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kirk Balk Academy compares
Kirk Balk Academy ranked 4th of 10 secondary schools in Barnsley for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 61% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46 | 9.6% | 30.1% | 1,318 | — |
| Barnsley Academy | 45.1 | 9.9% | 47.7% | 874 | 2.4 miles |
| Netherwood Academy | 42.6 | 11.1% | 37.1% | 1,229 | 2.9 miles |
| Ecclesfield School | 41.5 | 10.3% | 28.9% | 1,711 | 3.4 miles |
| Trinity Academy St. Edwards | — | 7.3% | 25.7% | 882 | 3.7 miles |
| Horizon Community College | 49.8 | 6.7% | 29.4% | 1,909 | 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report4 June 2025
- 21 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 30.14%
- English as an additional language
- 1.5%
- Overall absence
- 9.61%
- Persistent absence
- 25.16%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Barnsley Academy2.4 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Netherwood Academy2.9 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Ecclesfield School3.4 miles
Secondary · Sheffield
-
Trinity Academy St. Edwards3.7 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Horizon Community College4.1 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Kirk Balk Academy ranks 3rd of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Barnsley.
- Barnsley Academy Secondary
- Darton Academy Secondary
- Horizon Community College 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 Kirk Balk Academy teach?
- Kirk Balk Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the headteacher of Kirk Balk Academy?
- The headteacher of Kirk Balk Academy is Mrs Hayley Craddock, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Kirk Balk Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kirk Balk 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 Kirk Balk Academy?
- Kirk Balk Academy has 1,318 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Kirk Balk Academy full?
- Kirk Balk Academy has capacity for 1,250 pupils and 1,318 on roll (105%), 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 Kirk Balk Academy a faith school?
- No. Kirk Balk Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Kirk Balk Academy a selective school?
- No. Kirk Balk Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Kirk Balk Academy?
- Kirk Balk Academy is part of NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Kirk Balk Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 50.7 in 2022/23 and 46 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kirk Balk Academy rank locally?
- Kirk Balk Academy ranked 4th of 10 secondary schools in Barnsley for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 61% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Kirk Balk Academy's absence rate?
- Kirk Balk Academy's overall absence rate is 9.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kirk Balk Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kirk Balk 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 7 July 2026.