Outwood Academy Shafton

Outwood Academy Shafton is a positive, safe school that is building a culture of belonging and high aspiration. Pupils generally enjoy school, behave well, and learn in calm, purposeful classrooms. The school has an ambitious curriculum with clearly identified knowledge, reading is a priority, pupils with SEND are well supported, and personal development is a particular strength, including a wide extra-curricular offer, pupil leadership and careers provision. Governance is strong, staff feel supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school has improved behaviour since the previous inspection and has robust attendance systems, with persistent absence falling significantly. However, attendance remains too low overall, especially for disadvantaged pupils, and this must remain a priority. In addition, teachers do not always choose the most effective activities to deliver the curriculum and check understanding, which means pupils do not achieve as well as they might in some areas. Published results last year did not fully reflect the school’s high expectations, but current pupils’ work and recall show better achievement.

Strengths

• Positive culture of belonging and high aspiration
• Pupils feel safe and most enjoy coming to school
• Calm and purposeful classrooms with rare low-level disruption
• Behaviour has improved and policy is applied consistently
• Ambitious curriculum with clearly identified key knowledge
• Reading is a priority with effective support for struggling pupils
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and well supported
• Personal development offer is a strength, including British values and extra-curricular activities
• Pupil leadership and community contribution are encouraged
• Well-considered careers offer prepares pupils for next steps
• Governance has strong oversight and staff feel well supported
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not consistently choose effective activities to deliver the curriculum and check learning
• Attendance remains too low, particularly for disadvantaged 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 Outwood Academy Shafton attended 88.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.2% 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, 11.4% of pupils at Outwood Academy Shafton were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 5 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 Outwood Academy Shafton had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.7% 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, 7.3% of pupils at Outwood Academy Shafton were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.6% 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 Outwood Academy Shafton received £8,998 and spent £8,171 for each of its 1,382 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,951,000 (£1,412 per pupil).

Across all 40 schools of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, income was £8,313 and spending £8,200 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 Barnsley · Barnsley local authority: places and applications

Outwood Academy Shafton is part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Outwood Academy Carlton Barnsley
• Outwood Primary Academy Newstead Green Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange Barnsley
• Outwood Academy Hemsworth Pontefract
• Outwood Primary Academy Darfield Barnsley
• Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane Pontefract
• Outwood Academy Freeston Normanton
• Outwood Academy City Fields Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Park Hill Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill Wakefield

What is Outwood Academy Shafton's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Outwood Academy Shafton is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Outwood Academy Shafton last inspected by Ofsted?

Outwood Academy Shafton was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Outwood Academy Shafton have?

Outwood Academy Shafton has 1,377 pupils on roll.

What age range does Outwood Academy Shafton cover?

Outwood Academy Shafton for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Outwood Academy Shafton's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.3, and 42% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Outwood Academy Shafton?

Outwood Academy Shafton is at Engine Lane, Shafton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S72 8RE.