Horbury Academy

Horbury Academy is a larger-than-average secondary school in the Accord Multi Academy Trust, inspected in January 2026. Pupils achieve highly, including disadvantaged pupils, and the school’s curriculum and teaching are particularly strong: lessons build carefully on prior learning, staff check understanding precisely and support for pupils with SEND and early reading is effective. Behaviour and attitudes are also a notable strength, with calm classrooms, rare disruption and positive relationships between staff and pupils. Safeguarding standards are met. The school is not yet equally strong in every area. Inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development are judged at the expected standard rather than strong. Some whole-school strategies for disadvantaged pupils are less embedded, engagement in enrichment activities is still growing, and careers education is not yet fully embedded across the school. Older pupils have a less secure understanding of tolerance and respect than younger pupils. The main concern is attendance. Overall attendance is below average and has been declining for some groups, particularly the most disadvantaged. Leaders have strengthened the attendance team and revised their strategy, and there are early signs of improvement, but the full impact is not yet felt. Behaviour itself remains a considerable strength despite the attendance challenge.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve highly, including disadvantaged pupils, with progress above national averages.
• Curriculum and teaching are consistently strong, with precise checking and effective adaptation.
• Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and behaviour around school is calm and purposeful.
• Support for pupils with SEND and pupils still learning to read is well understood and effective.
• Leadership is knowledgeable and ambitious, with effective governance and strong staff development.
• Pastoral care and support for pupils’ mental health are well considered and tailored.
• Pupil premium funding is used very well to widen opportunities for disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils benefit from a broad personal development programme and clearly promoted values.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance is below average and continues to decline for some groups, particularly disadvantaged pupils.
• The full impact of recent changes to the attendance strategy is not yet felt.
• Some whole-school strategies to improve disadvantaged pupils’ educational experience are less embedded.
• Engagement in enrichment activities is not yet as high as it could be.
• Careers education is still being developed and is not yet fully embedded across the school.
• Older pupils have a less secure understanding of tolerance and respect than younger pupils.

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 Horbury Academy attended 89.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.5% 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, 8.7% of pupils at Horbury Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Horbury Academy had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.4% 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, 15.3% of pupils at Horbury Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 2024–25 Horbury Academy received £7,996 and spent £7,849 for each of its 1,080 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,278,000 (£1,183 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Place Partnership - A Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,667 and spending £7,527 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wakefield · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Horbury Academy is part of Place Partnership - A Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Horbury Primary Academy Wakefield
• South Ossett Infant Academy Ossett
• Ossett Academy and Sixth Form College Ossett
• Middlestown Primary Academy Wakefield
• Wath Academy Rotherham
• Ravenfield Primary Academy Rotherham
• Sir Thomas Wharton Academy Doncaster
• Maltby Redwood Academy Rotherham
• Maltby Lilly Hall Academy Rotherham
• Maltby Manor Academy Rotherham

What is Horbury Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Horbury Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Horbury Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Horbury Academy was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Horbury Academy have?

Horbury Academy has 1,070 pupils on roll.

What age range does Horbury Academy cover?

Horbury Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Horbury Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.0, and 53% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Horbury Academy?

Horbury Academy is at Wakefield Road, Horbury, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 5HE.