Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #4 in Barnsley public Top 22% UK

Kirk Balk Academy

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

personMr Richard Whitfield

corporate_fareNORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST

location_onBarnsley, S74 9HX

language Visit Website phone 1226742286

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2020

groups

Students

1,332

trending_up

Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#4 in Barnsley

#1,557 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Kirk Balk Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Barnsley, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.0×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Kirk Balk Academy is an academy sponsor led in Barnsley, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST. The school has approximately 1,327 pupils on roll, of whom 30% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46, placing the school #4 in Barnsley and #1,557 of 3,216 nationally. 54.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 20.3% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2020. 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 1.0× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 21.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 8 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 39.9 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

Grade 5+ E&M

54.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)20.3%

Entering EBacc42.20%

EBacc APS4.13

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.13

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40.40%

EBacc APS4.21

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc42%

EBacc APS4.54

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc51%

EBacc APS4.57

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc52%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS3.81

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.1

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28%

EBacc APS3.93

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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

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships7%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

03 June 2025

Inspection Report

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21 January 2020

Inspection Report

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27 September 2017

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2020-01-21

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2017-09-27

Academy First Section 5 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-10-15

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

34.7%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

10.1%(134 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

4pupils

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 1,327 pupils. During this period, there were 461 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 34.7%, 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)	1,327	461	34.7%	7.3%	4
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,325	598	45.1%	7.8%	4
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,320	530	40.2%	7.4%	3
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,333	580	43.5%	7.1%	4
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,336	459	34.4%	8.2%	3
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,334	190	14.2%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,332	194	14.6%	6.4%	3
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,331	232	17.4%	5.9%	3
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,307	126	9.6%	4.7%	3
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,310	114	8.7%	4.9%	5
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,313	61	4.6%	4.4%	2
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,276	79	6.2%	3.6%	2
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,274	17	1.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,286	59	4.6%	3.9%	2
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,250	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,250	70	5.6%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,250	81	6.5%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,186	115	9.7%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,194	172	14.4%	3.8%	3
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,199	190	15.8%	3.8%	3
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,127	230	20.4%	3.4%	2
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,131	112	9.9%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,135	148	13.0%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,110	64	5.8%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,111	65	5.9%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,117	67	6.0%	3.1%	1

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

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psychology_alt

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.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 94 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 58 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 52 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 35 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 20 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 14 pupils

Hearing Impairment 8 pupils

Physical Disability 6 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 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.

87.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

89.0%Positive

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

20.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree40%

agree49%

disagree4%

strongly disagree4%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree18%

agree58%

disagree16%

strongly disagree4%

don't know4%

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

strongly agree40%

agree33%

disagree4%

strongly disagree7%

not applicable16%

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

yes22%

no78%

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

strongly agree50%

agree30%

strongly disagree20%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree44%

agree49%

disagree2%

don't know4%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree51%

agree40%

disagree7%

strongly disagree2%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree31%

agree49%

disagree18%

strongly disagree2%

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

strongly agree42%

agree49%

disagree7%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree53%

agree40%

disagree2%

don't know4%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree44%

agree31%

disagree7%

strongly disagree7%

don't know11%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes87%

no13%

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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 Barnsley

Penistone Grammar School

Darton Academy

Horizon Community College

Barnsley Academy

Netherwood Academy

Outwood Academy Shafton