Brinsworth Academy

About Brinsworth Academy

Brinsworth Academy’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.22 places it slightly below the Rotherham local authority average of -0.15, meaning pupils here make less academic progress between the end of primary school and their GCSEs than the typical student in the area. That difference is modest, but it’s enough to rank the school 10th out of 16 secondary schools in Rotherham, putting it in the bottom half of the LA. The school’s Attainment 8 score of 43.1 is also worth noting, though without a direct LA average for that metric, it’s hard to say exactly how it compares. What’s clearer is that Brinsworth is a large, popular school — it received 269 applications for 209 places in 2025/26, with 195 first-preference offers made. That oversubscription ratio of 1.29 suggests local families are keen to get in, despite the middling progress scores. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good, a step down from its previous Outstanding rating in 2007.

Drilling into the GCSE breakdown, Brinsworth’s Progress 8 banding is officially ‘Below average’, but the picture varies by subject. Progress in maths (-0.13) is closer to the national average than in English (-0.32), while the EBacc subjects and open element both sit at -0.39 and -0.07 respectively. The basics measure — the percentage of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths — stands at 34.8%, which is a key benchmark for many parents. At A-level, the picture is more encouraging: the school’s value-added score of -0.01 is essentially in line with the national average, and its progress banding is rated ‘Average’. The average points per entry of 31.55 equates to a grade C, and the best three A-levels average out at a C+. With 67 pupils in the sixth form, it’s a decent-sized cohort, and the school offers a Sixth Form Centre among its facilities.

On the practical side, Brinsworth Academy has a broad range of facilities including a swimming pool, tennis courts, sports hall, art studios, music rooms, and even a chapel — unusual for a state school. Sports on offer include rounders, athletics, football, rugby, and swimming, while clubs range from Art Club and Book Club to Model UN and Young Enterprise. The school’s SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder, plus a resourced provision. With 32.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged catchment. For families in Rotherham who want a large, inclusive secondary with a strong sixth form and decent facilities, Brinsworth is a solid option — just be aware that GCSE progress trails the local average slightly, and the school is oversubscribed, so applying early is wise.

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