Astrea Academy Dearne
Academy converter · 1,071 pupils
76% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.2
Academy sponsor led
Darton Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,099of 1,200 places
- Free school meals
- 22.2%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 206
- Ofsted
- Good, 8 February 2023Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Darton College (URN 106651, until 31 August 2018).
What the data says
Darton Academy has no sixth form. Of the 229 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 4% moved to a sixth form college, 75% to a further education college and 6% started an apprenticeship.
Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 22% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 52.1 against 46.1 across England and 44.0 in Barnsley, with 65% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
As an 11–16 school, Darton Academy is judged on where pupils go at 16 rather than on A level results.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Barnsley and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Darton Academy | Barnsley | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 229 | 2,522 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 90% | 90% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 82% | 82% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 3% | 8% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 4% | 3% | 13% |
| — further education college | 75% | 70% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 5% | 3% |
| Employment | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 8% | 7% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 3% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Darton Academy | Barnsley | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 52.1 | 44.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 65% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 38% | 36% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.67 | 3.90 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 24% | 32% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 38.5 | 33.1 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 56.3 | 49.1 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 8% | 8% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 206 | 100% | 89% | 36% | 20% | 84% |
| Mathematics | 206 | 100% | 88% | 27% | 22% | 80% |
| English Literature | 202 | 98% | 86% | 30% | 21% | 81% |
| Combined Science | 141 | 68% | 65% | 15% | 9% | 64% |
| History | 109 | 53% | 41% | 32% | 26% | 72% |
| Geography | 79 | 38% | 41% | 28% | 25% | 71% |
| Biology | 61 | 30% | 23% | 41% | 45% | 95% |
| Chemistry | 59 | 29% | 23% | 39% | 47% | 98% |
| Physics | 59 | 29% | 23% | 36% | 46% | 98% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 52 | 25% | 8% | 10% | 21% | 52% |
| Fine Art | 47 | 23% | 9% | 13% | 28% | 60% |
| Photography | 46 | 22% | 6% | 9% | 19% | 63% |
| Spanish | 43 | 21% | 19% | 35% | 27% | 84% |
| French | 35 | 17% | 18% | 40% | 29% | 100% |
| 3D Design | 20 | 10% | 2% | 5% | 16% | 30% |
| Computer Science | 18 | 9% | 13% | 22% | 30% | 50% |
| Dance | 16 | 8% | 1% | 31% | 27% | 69% |
| Music | 15 | 7% | 5% | 27% | 33% | 53% |
| Religious Studies | 10 | 5% | 31% | 10% | 32% | 60% |
| Design and Technology | 2 | 1% | 11% | — | 23% | — |
| Turkish | 1 | 0% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Studies | 54 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 52 | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 41 | — | — |
| Small Business Management | 39 | — | — |
| Tourism | 13 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Barnsley
Barnsley Academy
Academy sponsor led · 874 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.1
Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School
Academy sponsor led · 1,108 pupils
77% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.5
Horizon Community College
Academy converter · 1,909 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.8
Kirk Balk Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,318 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 46.0
Netherwood Academy
Academy sponsor led · 1,229 pupils
85% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.6
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.