Darton Academy

School overview

Darton Academy is a secondary school serving Barnsley, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. It has 1,114 pupils aged 11 to 16 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Darton Academy 'Good'. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 52.1, above the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 3.2 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 22% of secondary schools nationally.

65% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well above the national average of about 45%. 79% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Darton Academy was not oversubscribed for September 2026: all 217 families who put it first were offered a place. After Year 11, 90% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 7.9%. There are about 21.1 pupils per teacher. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.