Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School

Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School is an all-through 3–16 academy in Barnsley and part of the St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which it joined in April 2024. Inspectors found notable strengths in the early years and primary phase, in personal development and in safeguarding. The primary curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, early years children get a strong start in communication and language, reading and phonics are taught effectively, pupils with SEND are included, attendance has improved, and the personal development and careers programme prepares pupils well for life beyond school. The secondary phase is much less secure. Some curriculums have been recently introduced and are still being embedded, staff confidence is developing, and the quality of checks on pupils’ learning varies, particularly when classes are taught by supply staff. As a result, some pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not learn as well as they should and older pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Behaviour is not managed consistently in the secondary phase, some pupils are boisterous in social spaces, learning is sometimes disrupted, and some pupils and parents are not confident that bullying concerns are resolved effectively. School and trust leaders have a realistic view of the school and are prioritising staff development, but high staff turnover and recruitment challenges have contributed to the inconsistencies in the secondary phase. Safeguarding is effective, and the school works well with pupils who join mid-year after becoming disengaged from education. The main priorities are to fully develop and implement the secondary curriculum, support all staff to check prior learning and adapt teaching, reassure pupils and families about how bullying is handled, and apply the behaviour policy consistently.

Strengths

• Strong early years provision with a clear focus on vocabulary and communication
• Ambitious, well-sequenced primary curriculum from early years to Year 6
• Effective phonics and reading support, including for older pupils
• Pupils with SEND are included and identified, with effective support in the primary phase
• Improved attendance through clearer systems and support for families
• Well-designed personal development programme, including online safety
• Well-considered careers education and high progression to education, employment or training
• Strong pastoral support for pupils who join mid-year after becoming disengaged
• Leaders and trustees have a clear, realistic picture of the school
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some secondary curriculums are new or still in development and delivery varies
• Checks on pupils’ prior learning are inconsistent, especially with supply staff
• Some secondary pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should
• The behaviour policy is not applied consistently in the secondary phase
• Boisterous behaviour in social spaces and disruption in some lessons persist
• Some pupils and parents are not confident that bullying is dealt with effectively
• High staff turnover and recruitment challenges contribute to inconsistency
• Older pupils have knowledge gaps from weaker previous provision

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 Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School attended 89.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.4% 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, 9.5% of pupils at Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 17 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 Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 18.9% of pupils at Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.1% 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 Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School received £8,560 and spent £8,695 for each of its 1,148 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,484,000 (£1,293 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,072 and spending £8,099 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

Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School is part of St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Primary School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy Sheffield
• St Ann's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Sheffield
• St Alban's Catholic Primary and Nursery School Doncaster
• St Catherine's Catholic Primary School (Hallam) Sheffield
• Sacred Heart School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy Sheffield
• Emmaus Catholic and CofE Primary School Sheffield
• All Saints' Catholic High School Sheffield
• St Marie's School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy Sheffield
• Notre Dame High School Sheffield
• St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Sheffield

What is Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School have?

Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School has 1,108 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School cover?

Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School for pupils aged 3 to 16.

What are Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.2, and 23% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School?

Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School is at Carlton Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 2LF.