Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #13 in Westmorland and Furness public Top 32% UK

Furness Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Simon Laheney

corporate_fareFURNESS EDUCATION TRUST

location_onBarrow-in-Furness, LA13 9BB

language Visit Website phone 1229484270

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

1,159

trending_up

Attainment 8

42.4

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GCSE Rank

#13 in Westmorland and Furness

#2,189 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Furness Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Barrow-in-Furness, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Furness Academy is an academy sponsor led in Barrow-in-Furness, Westmorland and Furness, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of FURNESS EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,188 pupils on roll, of whom 30% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 42.4, placing the school #13 in Westmorland and Furness and #2,189 of 3,216 nationally. 35.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 10.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.0:1. There is 1 teaching vacancy.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 8 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 8.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

42.4

Grade 5+ E&M

35.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)10.8%

Entering EBacc28.90%

EBacc APS3.53

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5.70%

EBacc APS3.27

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc9%

EBacc APS3.28

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.13

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS3.48

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc5%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.47

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS2.89

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.21

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc2%

EBacc APS3.17

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)72%

Apprenticeships14%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)66%

Apprenticeships16%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)72%

Apprenticeships10%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)73%

Apprenticeships14%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)74%

Apprenticeships10%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

13 March 2023

Inspection Report

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19 September 2017

Inspection Report

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03 July 2015

Inspection Report

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21 April 2015

Inspection Report

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04 November 2014

Inspection Report

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10 June 2014

Inspection Report

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05 March 2014

Inspection Report

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10 December 2013

Inspection Report

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19 September 2013

Inspection Report

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15 May 2013

Inspection Report

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16 October 2012

Inspection Report

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25 January 2012

Inspection Report

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02 March 2011

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2023-03-13

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2017-09-19

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2015-04-21

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

7.4%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.7%(44 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

5pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,188 pupils. During this period, there were 88 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 7.4%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,188	88	7.4%	7.3%	5
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,203	106	8.8%	7.8%	3
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,191	86	7.2%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,209	84	6.9%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,219	71	5.8%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,159	38	3.3%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,159	35	3.0%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,177	38	3.2%	5.9%	4
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,103	33	3.0%	4.7%	2
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,117	40	3.6%	4.9%	3
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,126	51	4.5%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,058	23	2.2%	3.6%	2
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,078	21	1.9%	1.0%	1
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,093	74	6.8%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,004	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,004	31	3.1%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,015	61	6.0%	4.2%	3
2018/19 (Summer term)	862	68	7.9%	3.1%	3
2018/19 (Spring term)	863	44	5.1%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	869	52	6.0%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	777	34	4.4%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	785	34	4.3%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	788	44	5.6%	3.7%	3
2016/17 (Summer term)	756	29	3.8%	3.0%	2
2016/17 (Spring term)	768	35	4.6%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	779	31	4.0%	3.1%	7

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 61 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 53 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 38 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 16 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

91.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

93.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

31.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree56%

agree35%

disagree5%

strongly disagree1%

don't know2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree34%

agree42%

disagree19%

strongly disagree2%

don't know3%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree48%

agree19%

disagree6%

strongly disagree5%

not applicable22%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes32%

no68%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree68%

agree22%

disagree2%

strongly disagree5%

dont know2%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree62%

agree34%

disagree2%

don't know2%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree59%

agree36%

disagree4%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree50%

agree37%

disagree10%

strongly disagree2%

don't know2%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree66%

agree30%

disagree1%

strongly disagree2%

don't know1%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree59%

agree35%

disagree2%

strongly disagree1%

don't know3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree48%

agree38%

disagree5%

strongly disagree2%

don't know5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes90%

no10%

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Westmorland and Furness

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith

Queen Elizabeth School

John Ruskin School

Kirkbie Kendal School

The Queen Katherine School

Kirkby Stephen Grammar School