Horbury Academy

About Horbury Academy

Horbury Academy holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained consistently across its two most recent inspections. The most telling metric for this 11-16 mixed state secondary in Wakefield is its Progress 8 score of 0.32, which is classified as 'Above average' nationally. This means that pupils here typically achieve nearly a third of a grade more per subject than students with similar starting points across England. To put that in sharper context, the average Progress 8 score for secondary schools in the Wakefield local authority is exactly zero, so Horbury is performing significantly above its local peers. That performance places it third out of 18 schools in the Wakefield area, and within the top 50 nationally when ranked by Progress 8. The school's Attainment 8 score sits at 48.9, and over half of its pupils (52.2%) achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, a strong benchmark for secondary success.

Digging deeper into the academic picture, Horbury's strengths are not evenly spread across all subjects. The strongest Progress 8 component is English, where pupils score 0.43 above the national average, while maths is a more modest 0.18 above. The EBacc average point score is 4.21, though only 21.5% of pupils entered the full EBacc suite of subjects, and just 12.7% achieved a grade 5 or above across that combination. This suggests the school focuses on securing strong results in the core subjects rather than pushing a broad academic pathway for everyone. The Ofsted inspection in 2021 rated behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management all as Good, with no outstanding judgements. With 25.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage, yet its Progress 8 score demonstrates that pupils here make stronger progress than the national average for all students.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 581 applications for 198 places, with 225 families putting it as their first preference. That works out at nearly three applications for every place. Facilities are generous for a secondary without a sixth form, including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a theatre, and a full range of science labs and music rooms. The SEND provision is comprehensive, covering ten different needs from dyslexia to autistic spectrum disorder and physical disability. Horbury Academy is best suited to families who want a well-regarded local secondary with strong academic progress, particularly in English, and who are comfortable with a school that does not offer post-16 education. The lack of a sixth form means pupils will need to plan for college or other provision after Year 11, but the school's academic record suggests they will leave well prepared.

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