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Outwood Academy Shafton
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Secondary

Outwood Academy Shafton

Barnsley, United Kingdom
26 Verified Reviews
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Verified Parents
2.1 /5

26 verified reviews

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About Outwood Academy Shafton

Outwood Academy Shafton is a welcoming and supportive academy, with a relentless determination to provide the very best education for every child. We place students at the centre of everything we do, with a focus on creating a culture of success and a positive climate for learning.

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Key Facts

Founded 2015
Head/Principal Alison McQueen

Rating Breakdown

Based on verified reviews
Safety & Security 2.5
Teaching Quality 2.5
Communication 2.4
Student Wellbeing 2.6
Facilities 2.6

Parent Survey

Official Ofsted Parent View data • 114 responses • 8.3% response rate

View on Ofsted

My child is happy at this school

86.8% positive 12.3% negative

My child feels safe at this school

92.2% positive 6.1% negative

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved

84.2% positive 12.3% negative

The school has high expectations for my child

87.8% positive 9.7% negative

My child does well at this school

89.5% positive 8.8% negative

I would recommend this school to another parent

Data from Ofsted Parent View as of September 2025. Based on 114 parent responses to the official Ofsted survey.

School Workforce

Teacher and staff information • 2024-2025

Note: These figures are estimated based on national averages. Actual school-level data not yet available.
17.0:1
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Excellent
81.2
Teachers (FTE)

Estimated workforce data based on GIAS enrollment and national average ratios. Academic year 2024-2025.

Secondary School Results (Key Stage 4)

Exam performance data • 2023-2024

40.7
Attainment 8
Average grade across 8 subjects
-0.44
Progress 8
Below average
38.2%
English & Maths 9-5
Strong pass in both
61.4%
English & Maths 9-4
Standard pass in both

Additional Information

42.9% entered EBacc
22.0% achieved EBacc
259 pupils in cohort

Data from DfE Performance Tables for academic year 2023-2024. Published January 2024. View full performance tables

Reviews 26

A
Anonymous
Parent Oct 17, 2025
1.0

"Bad school"

I hated this school so much so glad that I got out
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 3/5
Communication 3/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 3/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Feb 17, 2025
1.0

"UNSAFE SCHOOL DONT SEND YOUR CHILDREN"

Honestly this school isn't doing much for students who need extra support till the last second I had to wait till year 9 just to get any form of real support even thought I was on a list
Random detentions for no reason drinking or eating outside. Not using a reading ruler
Not going to break but staying in your lesson for break
And every 5 months they bring football for the boys at lunchtime and every so often they can't play anymore I feel bad for them cos that's why they want to come to school- to play football

Teachers have favourites especially if they are in that teachers form you get told off not them

If someone is behaving badly it takes ages for it to be worked out
Someone brought a lighter to school with a can of deodorant and was spraying the deodorant on the fire tryna start a fire but that should have been a permanent exclusion
But no that student is still here


SORT THIS SCHOOL OUT ITS NOT SAFE
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 1/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Dec 11, 2024
3.0

"We need people to know"

Absolutely shocking do not put ur kids in this place
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 1/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Sep 27, 2024
1.0

"AWFUL!!"

absolutely awful school. i went here for 2+ years and i was bullied terribly to the point i needed 3 counsellors and the teachers NEVER helped at one point i was begging them on my knees crying to do something about it but they never did, no detention no nothing it just got worse and worse but if i ever said anything back to them i would get in trouble and they wouldnt. the teachers there are absolutely awful and never teach their students properly. i moved schools about a year ago and i have learnt everything in year 10 that i was meant to in year 7-9. all the kids are petrified of the headteacher and SLT and they give out detentions and isolations for the smallest things ever. the food is undercooked or overcooked, as in the chicken burgers are pink, the pasta is either so soft you dont even have to chew or it's crunchy no inbetween, the pizza is so greasy you could squeeze it and it would be enough for a deep fat fryer and the jacket potatoes are always burnt to a crisp or hard because of how raw they are. NEVER send your kids there unless you want them to be severely depressed!!
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 1/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Dec 16, 2023
1.0

"BÚLLYING"

there is constant bullying here. the teachers/head of year do nothing about it even when parents report it. Nobody returns calls (when you can actually get through) and we were told that by a member of staff that they couldn't punish the gang who had been bullying because the incident has passed!!what a load of rubbish. I think the principal of this ACADEMY should send her staff on anti- bullying courses and maybe attend one herself as there is a total lack of understanding of the effect on the mental health of the person who is bullied. You should not be expected to have to attend a school when every day you fear that an unruly element are going to assault you.
A
Anonymous
Parent Sep 11, 2023
1.0

"Pathetic "

Sending children home for silly reasons "natural eyelashes" making them miss education and not bothered...people have insecurities within themself and are making rules to embrace them saying no makeup or lashes making children refusing to go to school because they cant be who they are saying its a all rights school...pathetic
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 3/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 3/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Sep 11, 2023
1.0

"Shite "

They make your kids confidence drop a lot.staff are way too harsh
Safety & Wellbeing 2/5
Teaching & Learning 3/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 4/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Jul 28, 2023
2.0

"Not too fussed"

3/10 would not recommend
Wouldn’t come again
Safety & Wellbeing 2/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 1/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Jul 24, 2023
1.0

"Wank I hope it burns"

This school is shit they don’t do anything when u get bullied either it gets shut down or I burn it down xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
X
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 1/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Jul 20, 2023
1.0

"very bad "

all of us hate it here
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 1/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Jun 27, 2023
1.0

"Mental Heath "

They only care about you to get into college and get a job when you try to open up to them some teachers think it’s ok to rub it off as nothing most assume about other students just because they’re “loud” or “annoying” when really they’re the sweetest people on the planet some teachers are sound tho but most of them won’t listen about your problems only when a mental Heath support groups contact them about it or when the person speaks up about it when it goes around so they cover it up by doing something.

If you do send any of your kids to this school just remember it will ruin them there mental Heath and communication at home or school it’s honestly sick

I hear from outter year groups that some students don’t show up because of how worse it’s gotten for them so they send out messages for them to come into school acting like everything is ok for them when really they don’t know how badly that person is hurting
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 3/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 1/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Jun 27, 2023
1.0

"Mental Heath "

Once you go into this school it’s ok at first then after like year7 to year8 they stop caring for you in year9 and get more stricter ever since the year11s left it has been awful they don’t do anything about mental Heath and when someone turns up late they don’t care what’s going on until things get worse they act like they know everything about everyone when really all they do is assume about other students now back to the mental Heath they dont do owt until the parent or the person that is looking after the child say something to school and honestly some people I know out of my year group and people in my year group don’t show up to school because of the lack of support for mental Heath I hope they do improve on it
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 3/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 1/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Jun 13, 2023
2.0

"just simple reasons i have no punctuation so don’t mind that"

they don’t care about mental health or anything and if you’re a second late they give you a detention with our letting you explain where you was some teachers are alright but some can be really strict, in heatwaves they don’t let you wear your pe kits or minus the tights or something so you’re stuck over heating which isn’t very good as you can’t focus but that’s what they want you to do
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 2/5
Facilities 2/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Jun 4, 2023
1.0

"TW SA mentionedned"

rubbish I go here and if you care about your children I am begging you don't send them here I've been going here for 2 years now and bullying is the worst and when you tell them about it they do nothing, my dad was getting calls in school about his dad who had dies a couple of weeks before the calls, cruel, we told staff and reported it a day later saw them again doing the same thing. my dad was traumatised from his dad's death and my grandads and with all this going on some lousy kids thaight it would be fun. yet they didn't understand and it's more of the fact school knew and still nothing happened. I was also SA in school and multiple people were there and saw and took me out of the room where it was happening those kids stepped forward told the school what had happened and so did I, to this day I still see the kid, still gives me looks tries to hold my hand yet when I defend myself I get put in reflection all this has literally pushed me to the point where I just wanna end it. shit school in general don't waste your time, there's better schools.
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 2/5
A
Anonymous
Parent May 5, 2023
4.0

"Outwood Academy Shafton"

Great outdoor facilities, great staff, truinting problem. All round not bad.
Safety & Wellbeing 5/5
Teaching & Learning 3/5
Communication 3/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 5/5
Facilities 3/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Apr 25, 2023
1.0

"Don’t send your child their mental health will be ruined "

This school doesn’t care about anything but your attendance and what GCSEs you get as they don’t want it to look bad on themselves. They don’t care about students mental health and when you try to tell them you just get ignored or told “you’ll be fine go back to lesson” or “it’s just because your a teenager”. You aren’t allowed to go to medical even if you’ve been sick as it isn’t allowed in lessons and should have gone at dinner or break, you aren’t allowed to fill your water bottle up as it isn’t allowed in lessons and just get told to wait until end of lesson, you aren’t allowed to the toilet even if you look desperate you just get told “should of gone at break/dinner” or “go after lesson you aren’t allowed in lessons” but at break and dinner they are always locked and there is only around 10 toilets on the bottom floor and you aren’t allowed to go to another floor for the toilet. You aren’t allowed to take your blazer off even if you are too hot.
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 3/5
Facilities 3/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Nov 11, 2022
2.0

"I don’t really like it here"

I thought in school I felt safe but throughout the years bullying has been bad and I’ve seen it happen to other people too, it’s mentally draining me just being there now.
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 2/5
Communication 2/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 2/5
Facilities 4/5
E
Emily T
Parent Sep 15, 2022
5.0

"Excellent Support and Facilities!"

We're absolutely delighted with Outwood Academy Shafton! The staff are so supportive and the facilities are fantastic. Our child has thrived in the ACE programme and we've seen a huge improvement in their confidence and academic progress. Highly recommended!
Safety & Wellbeing 5/5
Teaching & Learning 5/5
Communication 5/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 5/5
Facilities 5/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Aug 30, 2022
4.0

"Decent"

Nice staff but they have no leverage for students making mistakes and don't wait on struggling students.
Safety & Wellbeing 3/5
Teaching & Learning 4/5
Communication 5/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 2/5
Facilities 4/5
A
Anonymous
Parent Jul 15, 2022
1.0

"This school is absolutely awful"

Made up of bullsh*t. Don't let u explain the truth if in trouble they just send u to reflection and gob off at u. Moldy food. Strict teachers. Bullys. Horrible,nasty students. Can't explain more worse abt this school it's f**king sh*t. Honestly do no go to this school u will regret it. The school if awful.
Safety & Wellbeing 1/5
Teaching & Learning 1/5
Communication 1/5
Mental & Emotional Wellbeing 1/5
Facilities 1/5

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