School profile

Horbury Academy

Secondary · Academy converter · Wakefield, WF4 5HE

Good

Map showing Horbury Academy

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#852 of 3,312

Better than 74% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

Horbury Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 6 Jan 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Strong standard
Achievement
Strong standard
Attendance and behaviour
Needs attention
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages11 to 16
Pupils1,070
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMrs Nicola Walker
TrustPLACE PARTNERSHIP - A MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
Local authorityWakefield
Opened01 Sept 2012
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 138707.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolWakefieldEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.51, better than England, better than Wakefield45.846.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.76.9%, better than England, better than Wakefield66.7%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.52.9%, better than England, better than Wakefield47.7%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.18.7%, better than England, better than Wakefield13.7%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths75.1%, better than England, better than Wakefield61.7%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4225--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils1,070
Girls543
Boys527
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.27.9%
First language not English6.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,059
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.164
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.53
Average class size24.9

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
85.6%
Other White
3.4%
African
2.1%
White and Asian
1.7%
Pakistani
1.6%
Other ethnic group
1.1%
White and Black African
0.9%
White and Black Caribbean
0.7%
Other mixed
0.7%
Other Asian
0.5%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher18.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.2
Teachers (FTE)57.87
Teaching assistants (FTE)22.02
Support staff (FTE)53.53
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2557.1
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2552.3
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/252
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/252.8

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.198
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.596
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.234
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.191
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)34

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolWakefieldEngland
Overall absence9.5%, worse than England, similar to Wakefield9.1%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.22.8%, similar to England, similar to Wakefield23.9%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.7.2%, worse than England, worse than Wakefield5.2%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate36.7%
Pupils with one or more suspensions8.7%
Permanent exclusion rate0.2%
Permanent exclusions2

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.89.5%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.84.2%
Further education53.5%
Sixth form college22.8%
School sixth form7.5%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.5.7%
Employment3.1%
Apprenticeship2.2%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Horbury Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miPrimaryHorbury Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.5 miPrimaryHorbury St Peter's and Clifton CofE (VC) Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryWakefield Snapethorpe Primary SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
1.2 miPrimaryOssett South Parade PrimaryCommunity school
Good
1.2 miPrimaryHorbury Bridge Church of England Junior and Infant AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimarySouth Ossett Infant AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimarySt Ignatius Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.3 miPrimaryThe Mount Junior Infant & Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.3 miPrimaryEnglish Martyrs Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.4 miSecondaryOssett Academy and Sixth Form CollegeAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Horbury Academy

What is Horbury Academy's Ofsted rating?

Horbury Academy is rated Good, last inspected on 6 Jan 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Horbury Academy rank in England?

Horbury Academy ranks 852 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 74% of schools).

What are Horbury Academy's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 52.9% of pupils at Horbury Academy got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 51 (England 46.2).

How hard is it to get into Horbury Academy?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Horbury Academy made 198 offers from 596 applications (3 per offer), and 191 of 234 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Horbury Academy?

Horbury Academy has 1,070 pupils aged 11 to 16.

What is the capacity of Horbury Academy?

Horbury Academy had 1,059 school places in 2024/25.

Does Horbury Academy have a sixth form?

No, Horbury Academy teaches pupils up to age 16.

How big are classes at Horbury Academy?

At Horbury Academy, the average class had 24.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 18.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Horbury Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at Horbury Academy missed 9.5% of sessions (England 8%), and 22.8% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.