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Horizon Community College

Mixed · ages 11–16 · no sixth formBarnsley, Yorkshire and the Humber · Barnsley S70 6PDTrust: HcatSchool website
Pupils on roll
1,909of 2,000 places
Free school meals
29.9%
Year 11 cohort 2025
396
Ofsted
School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next, 5 October 2023Read the Ofsted report

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Horizon Community College (URN 136404, until 1 November 2018).

What the data says

Horizon Community College has no sixth form. Of the 387 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 5% moved to a sixth form college, 76% to a further education college and 5% started an apprenticeship.

Photography is unusually popular at GCSE: 24% of the year group took it, against 6% of pupils across England.

GCSE results in 2025 were above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 49.8 against 46.1 across England and 44.0 in Barnsley, with 48% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).

As an 11–16 school, Horizon Community College 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.

Horizon Community College
Barnsley
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureHorizon Community CollegeBarnsleyEngland
Pupils in the cohort3872,522607,348
Any sustained destination91%90%92%
Stayed in education83%82%86%
— school sixth form2%8%34%
— sixth form college5%3%13%
— further education college76%70%37%
— other education0%2%2%
Apprenticeship5%5%3%
Employment3%4%3%
No sustained destination8%7%6%
Destination unknown1%3%3%

GCSE results 2025

MeasureHorizon Community CollegeBarnsleyEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)49.844.046.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths48%45%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths71%64%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects55%36%41%
EBacc average point score4.523.904.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort29%32%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils41.533.134.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils53.249.150.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language16%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.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
English Language396100%89%22%20%77%
Mathematics396100%88%19%22%75%
English Literature39199%86%15%21%75%
Combined Science33885%65%5%9%66%
Geography24061%41%19%25%64%
Business Studies16642%18%16%20%63%
History15639%41%30%26%74%
Spanish13634%19%21%27%85%
Photography9524%6%19%19%75%
French7719%18%38%29%96%
Religious Studies7419%31%53%32%91%
Physics5414%23%67%46%100%
Chemistry5414%23%72%47%100%
Biology5313%23%49%45%100%
Fine Art5013%9%30%28%88%
Graphic Communication236%1%13%23%65%
Physical Education164%11%38%24%100%
Textiles144%2%50%27%100%
Polish103%1%100%84%100%
Statistics62%5%0%20%0%
Portuguese41%0%50%
Russian21%0%87%
Chinese10%1%75%
Italian10%0%53%
Arabic10%1%47%

Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Sports Studies109
Health Studies89
Hospitality / Catering Studies60
Computer Appreciation / Introduction56
Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined)39
Speech and Drama29
Dance: General26
Childcare Skills25
Music performance: Group19

Other secondary schools in Barnsley

Barnsley Academy

Academy sponsor led · 874 pupils

86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.1

Darton Academy

Academy sponsor led · 1,099 pupils

82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.1

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.