Horizon Community College
Dodworth Road, Barnsley, S70 6PD
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HCAT
- Headteacher
- Mrs Claire Huddart
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- HCAT
- Constituency
- Penistone and Stocksbridge
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 2,000
- Pupils on roll
- 1,909
- URN
- 146455
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226704230
About this school
Horizon Community College is a secondary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,909 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Horizon Community College, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 October 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good and saw signs of improvement; a full inspection will follow. 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 | 387 | 384 | 396 |
| Attainment 8 score | 49.8 | 44.8 | 49.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.34 +0.20 to +0.49 | -0.07 -0.21 to +0.07 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 48% | 40.4% | 48% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 69% | 62.2% | 71% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 54% | 56.3% | 55.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
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 Horizon Community College 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 | 49.8 | 35.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44.8 | 34.7 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 49.8 | 38.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 2,004 |
| 2023/24 | 1,974 |
| 2024/25 | 1,916 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Horizon Community College compares
Horizon Community College ranked 3rd of 10 secondary schools in Barnsley for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 75% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49.8 | 6.7% | 29.4% | 1,909 | — |
| Trinity Academy St. Edwards | — | 7.3% | 25.7% | 882 | 0.4 miles |
| Barnsley Academy | 45.1 | 9.9% | 47.7% | 874 | 2.3 miles |
| Darton Academy | 52.1 | 7.3% | 22.9% | 1,099 | 2.8 miles |
| Outwood Academy Carlton | 41.5 | 12.3% | 38.4% | 1,109 | 3.4 miles |
| Kirk Balk Academy | 46 | 9.6% | 30.1% | 1,318 | 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)
- 29.38%
- English as an additional language
- 14%
- Overall absence
- 6.67%
- Persistent absence
- 19.52%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Trinity Academy St. Edwards0.4 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Barnsley Academy2.3 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Darton Academy2.8 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Outwood Academy Carlton3.4 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
-
Kirk Balk Academy4.1 miles
Secondary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Horizon Community College ranks 2nd of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Barnsley.
- Barnsley Academy Secondary
- Darton Academy 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 ages does Horizon Community College teach?
- Horizon Community College teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the headteacher of Horizon Community College?
- The headteacher of Horizon Community College is Mrs Claire Huddart, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Horizon Community College been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Horizon Community College, 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 Horizon Community College?
- Horizon Community College has 1,909 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Horizon Community College full?
- Horizon Community College has capacity for 2,000 pupils and 1,909 on roll (95%), 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 Horizon Community College a faith school?
- No. Horizon Community College has no designated religious character.
- Is Horizon Community College a selective school?
- No. Horizon Community College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Horizon Community College part of an academy trust?
- Horizon Community College is part of HCAT. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Horizon Community College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 49.8 in 2022/23 and 49.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Horizon Community College compare with other schools in Barnsley?
- Horizon Community College ranked 3rd of 10 secondary schools in Barnsley for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 75% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Horizon Community College's absence rate?
- Horizon Community College's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Horizon Community College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Horizon Community College'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 10 July 2026.