Barnwell School

Type Secondary / Foundation school
Age Range 11-18
Religion Does not apply
Address Barnwell
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
SG2 9SW
Phone 01438222500
Reference Number 117518

Barnwell School is a warm and friendly institution that has made considerable progress since its previous inspection, improving from a rating of 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good'. The school offers a broad and ambitious curriculum that is well-delivered by confident teachers. Pupils express enjoyment in their lessons and demonstrate good behaviour across the school. The effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) ensures they have access to the same curriculum as their peers, promoting an inclusive learning environment.

General Makeup

Number of pupils 1315
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 48.82%
Girls: 51.18%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 29.3%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 14.8%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 20.2

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
7 127 125 252
8 137 130 267
9 118 127 245
10 122 133 255
11 98 110 208
12 22 21 43
13 18 27 45

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 70.3%
African 7.1%
White, Other 6.1%
Unclassified 4%
White & Black (Caribbean) 3%
Asian, Other 1.7%
Indian 1.5%
Mixed, Other 1.3%
White & Asian 0.9%
White & Black (African) 0.9%
Chinese 0.5%
Pakistani 0.5%
Caribbean 0.4%
Irish 0.1%

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
Last Report Date 24 Nov 2021
Date Report
24 Nov 2021 School inspection:
23 Feb 2021 Monitoring visit
22 Oct 2020 Monitoring visit
09 May 2019 Monitoring visit
17 Jan 2018 Full inspection:
19 Jan 2016 Full inspection:
09 Jul 2014 Monitoring visit
06 Jun 2014 Monitoring visit
10 Dec 2013 Full inspection:
30 May 2012 Full inspection:
09 Mar 2010 Curriculum and development visit
25 Feb 2009 Full inspection:
11 Jan 2007 Monitoring visit
02 Nov 2005 Full inspection:
04 Oct 1999 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Pupils behave well and are well-mannered.
  • The curriculum is broad and ambitious, leading to enthusiastic student engagement.
  • Strong curriculum planning helps pupils remember key learning over time.
  • Leaders have addressed previous weaknesses in the science curriculum.
  • Effective support for pupils who struggle with reading, including those with SEND.
  • Sixth-form students are well-prepared for the next stages of their education and engage in voluntary work.

Areas for Improvement

  • Reading habits in Years 9 to 11 are not well established.
  • A significant minority of pupils do not participate in enrichment opportunities.

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
41.5

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 37.4%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 53.4%

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

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GCSE Results

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Points

Points Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Average Points 30.72
Average Points (best 3) 34.58

Grades

School Local Nationwide
Average Grade C B- C+
Average Grade (best 3) C+ B- C+
Percentage Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Students getting AAB or better 0%
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2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 76 30
Third Preference 50 21
From another Local Authority 2 1

Previous Years

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Destinations after GCSE's

Staying in Education
 >  Further Education
 >  School Sixth Form
 >  Sixth Form College
 >  Other Education
Apprenticeships
Employment
Not in education or employment
Unknown

Name Distance
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Hydean Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 9GG
0.22 miles
Peartree Way Nursery School
Peartree Way, Stevenage, SG2 9EA
0.37 miles
Featherstone Wood Primary School
Featherston Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 9PP
0.39 miles
Longmeadow Primary School
Oaks Cross, Broadwater, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 8LT
0.43 miles
Shephalbury Park Primary School
Burydale, Broadwater, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 8AX
0.49 miles
Ashtree Primary Academy
Chertsey Rise, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 9JQ
0.64 miles
Roebuck Academy
St Margarets, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 8RG
0.64 miles
St Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School and Nursery
Six Hills Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 0PZ
0.8 miles
St Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Primary School
Monkswood Lane, (Off Monkswood Way), Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 8QJ
0.91 miles
Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School
School Lane, Aston, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 7HA
0.97 miles
Bedwell Primary School
Bedwell Crescent, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 1NJ
1.12 miles
Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School
Bedwell Crescent, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 1NJ
1.18 miles
Broom Barns Primary School
Homestead Moat, Bedwell, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 1UE
1.18 miles
Camps Hill Primary School
Chells Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 0LT
1.22 miles
Lodge Farm Primary School
Mobbsbury Way, Chells, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 0HP
1.4 miles
Larwood School
Larwood Drive, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 5BZ
1.61 miles
Moss Bury Primary School and Nursery
Webb Rise, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 5PA
1.62 miles
Fairlands Primary School
Pound Avenue, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 3JA
1.76 miles
Knebworth Primary and Nursery School
Swangleys Lane, Knebworth, Hertfordshire, SG3 6AA
1.79 miles
Letchmore Infants' and Nursery School
Letchmore Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 3PS
2.03 miles
Name Distance
Greenside School
Shephall Green, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 9XS
0.19 miles
The Valley School
Broadhall Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 9BN
0.64 miles
Lonsdale School
Brittain Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 8UT
0.96 miles
Marriotts School
Brittain Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 8UT
0.96 miles
North Hertfordshire College
Monkswood Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 1LA
1.24 miles
The Nobel School
Mobbsbury Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 0HS
1.5 miles
Barclay Academy
Walkern Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 3RB
2.2 miles
The Thomas Alleyne Academy
High Street, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 3BE
2.29 miles
The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School
Hitchin Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 4AE
2.69 miles
East Hall School
The Calf House, East Hall Farm, St Pauls Walden, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 8DL
3.48 miles
Sherrardswood School
Lockleys, Welwyn, AL6 0BJ
4.48 miles
Knightsfield School
Knightsfield, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7LW
4.94 miles
Kingshott School
Stevenage Road, Hitchin, SG4 7JX
4.94 miles
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