Astrea Academy Dearne
Academy converter · 1,071 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.2
Further education
Barnsley College
- Pupils on roll
- —
- Free school meals
- —
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 73
- Ofsted
- Not covered by Ofsted school inspections
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Northern College for Residential Adult Education Limited (URN 130525, until 28 February 2026).
What the data says
Of the 79 pupils who finished Year 11 at Barnsley College in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 56% to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.
22% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 6.1 against 46.1 across England and 44.0 in Barnsley, with 3% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Among the 2,542 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 26% went to university (Barnsley 28%, England 37%), and 6% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Barnsley and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Barnsley College | Barnsley | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 79 | 2,522 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 68% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 58% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 0% | 8% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 3% | 13% |
| — further education college | 56% | 70% | 37% |
| — other education | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 22% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 10% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Barnsley College | Barnsley | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 2,542 | 2,656 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 26% | 28% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 6% | 9% | 19% |
| Further education | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 10% | 7% |
| Employment | 33% | 32% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 21% | 20% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Barnsley College | Barnsley | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 6.1 | 44.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 3% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 7% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 0% | 36% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 0.42 | 3.90 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 11% | 32% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 2.4 | 33.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 6.5 | 49.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | — | 8% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 67 | 92% | 89% | 0% | 20% | 16% |
| Mathematics | 65 | 89% | 88% | 0% | 22% | 14% |
| Combined Science | 29 | 40% | 65% | 0% | 9% | 0% |
| English Literature | 2 | 3% | 86% | — | 21% | — |
| Citizenship Studies | 2 | 3% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
| Statistics | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 20% | — |
| Psychology | 1 | 1% | 3% | — | 22% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Fine Art | 1 | 1% | 9% | — | 28% | — |
| Biology | 1 | 1% | 23% | — | 45% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Barnsley College | Barnsley | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 5,544 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 411 | 538 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C+ | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 31.78 | 34.07 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C+ | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 10% | 14% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 125 | 30% | 23% |
| Mathematics | 123 | 30% | 31% |
| Biology | 89 | 22% | 20% |
| Sociology | 87 | 21% | 13% |
| English Language and Literature | 74 | 18% | 2% |
| Chemistry | 71 | 17% | 17% |
| Business Studies | 69 | 17% | 13% |
| History | 68 | 17% | 13% |
| Law | 60 | 15% | 4% |
| Geography | 56 | 14% | 10% |
| Economics | 47 | 11% | 13% |
| Physics | 39 | 9% | 12% |
| Media Studies | 26 | 6% | 4% |
| Physical Education | 21 | 5% | 3% |
| Computer Science | 20 | 5% | 5% |
| Fine Art | 19 | 5% | 3% |
| Politics | 17 | 4% | 6% |
| Spanish | 16 | 4% | 2% |
| Film Studies | 14 | 3% | 2% |
| Religious Studies | 13 | 3% | 4% |
| Further Mathematics | 12 | 3% | 5% |
| Drama | 11 | 3% | 2% |
| French | 8 | 2% | 1% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 104 | 25% | — |
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 104 | 25% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 37 | 9% | — |
| Animal Husbandry: Specific Animals | VRQ Level 3 | 29 | 7% | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 25 | 6% | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 22 | 5% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | 21 | 5% | — |
| Mathematical Studies | Core Maths Qualifications at Level 3 | 19 | 5% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 19 | 5% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 18 | 4% | — |
| Animal Care (Non-Agricultural) | VRQ Level 2 | 17 | 4% | — |
| Engineering Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 15 | 4% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | 14 | 3% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 13 | 3% | — |
| Psychology | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 11 | 3% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | 9 | 2% | — |
| Psychology | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | 8 | 2% | — |
| Health Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | 7 | 2% | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 6 | 1% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Certificate at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Construction Carpentry / Shopfitting / Erection | VRQ Level 2 | — | — | — |
| Hairdressing Services | VRQ Level 2 | — | — | — |
| Plumbing (Building Work) | VRQ Level 2 | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | — | — | — |
| Construction Carpentry / Shopfitting / Erection | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Electrical installation (Buildings / Construction) | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Sports / Movement Science | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Barnsley
Barnsley Academy
Academy sponsor led · 874 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.1
Darton Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,099 pupils
82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.1
Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School
Academy sponsor led · 1,108 pupils
77% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.5
Horizon Community College
Academy converter · 1,909 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.8
Kirk Balk Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,318 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.0
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.