Penistone Grammar School

Penistone Grammar School continues to maintain its status as a good school, with leaders holding high aspirations for their pupils. Students are achieving well in their examinations and generally exhibit respect and focus in their learning environments. Teachers deliver high-quality lessons and employ effective strategies to support pupils' understanding and knowledge retention. Although pupils generally demonstrate good behavior, there are concerns regarding the reporting of bullying and a small minority of students facing derogatory language from peers, which the school actively addresses when noticed.

Strengths

• High aspirations for pupils reflected in ambitious qualifications and good examination results.
• Effective teaching strategies helping pupils understand and remember key knowledge.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Robust personal, social, health education (PSHE) curriculum addressing wider social issues.
• Low rates of disruption in classrooms and a positive school culture.
• Strong enrichment opportunities available for students, despite some groups being underrepresented.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils do not participate in wider opportunities as frequently as their peers.
• Communication and engagement with stakeholders need improvement.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Penistone Grammar School attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 17.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.9% of pupils at Penistone Grammar School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Penistone Grammar School had 18.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.2% of pupils at Penistone Grammar School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 9 pupils and resourced provision with 48 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Penistone Grammar School received £7,854 and spent £7,808 for each of its 1,948 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,234,000 (£634 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Sheffield (Barnsley) · Barnsley local authority: places and applications

What is Penistone Grammar School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Penistone Grammar School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Penistone Grammar School last inspected by Ofsted?

Penistone Grammar School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Penistone Grammar School have?

Penistone Grammar School has 1,946 pupils on roll.

What age range does Penistone Grammar School cover?

Penistone Grammar School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Penistone Grammar School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.4, and 59% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Penistone Grammar School?

Penistone Grammar School is at Huddersfield Road, Penistone, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S36 7BX.