Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School Review 2026

A single 3 to 16 setting can be a genuine advantage for families who value continuity, especially where a child benefits from a stable routine and familiar adults across phases. Holy Trinity’s identity is shaped by its joint Catholic and Church of England character, with a governance model that reflects that dual foundation. The most recent inspection (April 2025) judged Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, and Leadership and Management as Requires Improvement, while Personal Development and Early Years were judged Good.

Results are mixed by phase. Primary outcomes show a stronger picture than secondary measures. Demand is real across entry points, and parents need to treat admissions as a process, not a formality.

This is a large, mixed community school in Barnsley with the distinctiveness of being a joint Catholic and Church of England through-school. The dual faith character is not an add-on; it is part of how the school describes its ethos and how its foundation governance is organised, with foundation governors appointed through the relevant diocesan routes.

For pupils, the “through-school” structure has practical consequences. Transition points that can feel disruptive elsewhere are smoother here, because younger pupils are already learning within the broader culture and expectations that will later define Key Stage 3 and 4. That matters for families who value a consistent approach to behaviour, routines, and communication, and for pupils who find change hard.

A house system adds a layer of identity and belonging, particularly for older pupils, with five houses named Gabriel, Barachiel, Raphael, Uriel, and Zadkiel. This sort of structure can help pupils form connections beyond tutor groups or classes, and it is often where leadership roles and participation are most visible.

The most grounded way to describe the current atmosphere is to treat it as two related experiences. In the primary phase, routines and learning habits are described as more settled. In the secondary phase, consistency is the challenge, especially where staffing instability affects classroom routines and follow-up.

Holy Trinity spans primary and secondary, so it is worth separating how the data looks at each stage.

Primary outcomes

In 2024, 73.33% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and mathematics combined, above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 14% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, above the England average of 8%. Reading, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling scaled scores were 103, 104, and 105 respectively.

On the FindMySchool rankings (based on official data), the school is ranked 9,300th in England for primary outcomes, and 38th locally in Barnsley. This places it below England average overall, in the bottom 40% of schools in England by rank position (25th to 60th percentile is the middle band; this sits below that).

That combination can feel counterintuitive, because the headline primary attainment figure is above the England average. The likely parent-facing explanation is that rankings capture a broader comparative picture, and in some local authority contexts a school can exceed England averages while still sitting below the national mid-band on rank position. For families, the practical takeaway is simple, primary attainment is a relative strength, but it should not be assumed that this translates automatically into equally strong outcomes later.

Parents comparing primary options locally should use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to benchmark this set of figures against nearby schools, rather than relying on a single headline percentage.

Secondary outcomes (GCSE measures)

At secondary level, the 2024 picture is more difficult. Attainment 8 is 34, and Progress 8 is -0.75, indicating pupils make well below average progress from their starting points compared with similar pupils nationally in England. The EBacc average point score is 2.95, below the England average of 4.08.

On the FindMySchool rankings (based on official data), the school is ranked 3,593rd in England for GCSE outcomes and 8th locally in Barnsley. This places it below England average overall, in the bottom 40% of schools in England by rank position.

If you are shortlisting for Key Stage 3 or 4, this is the section to weigh most heavily. It is also the part of the school where external review identifies inconsistency as the central barrier to improvement, not lack of ambition.

The school’s strongest curriculum story sits in the primary phase. The curriculum is described as carefully sequenced from early years through Year 6, with clear attention to vocabulary development in early years and a reading approach that builds fluency from the start. That matters because it is the foundation for later learning, and it aligns with the above-England-average primary combined attainment figure.

Reading is a clear thread. Formal review highlights a reading culture supported by staff training and targeted support for pupils who need it, plus a reading club and parental workshops designed to support reading at home. For families, the implication is that early literacy is treated as a priority, and that support is structured rather than informal.

In the secondary phase, the issue is not whether subject leaders have plans, it is whether delivery is consistent across classrooms, particularly where supply staff are involved. Review evidence points to variability in how well teachers check what pupils know and can do, and whether teaching adapts to address gaps. For pupils, that can mean uneven classroom experiences from one subject, or one teacher, to the next. For parents, it means the best questions to ask at open events are practical, how behaviour expectations are applied in lessons, what systems exist for catching up knowledge gaps, and how the school reduces reliance on supply teaching.

There is no sixth form on site, so post-16 progression is to external providers. The school’s careers programme is structured around helping students make informed choices about their next steps, including signposting to different qualification routes and providers.

A useful parent lens is to treat Years 10 and 11 as the “handover” stage. The school can support aspiration and application quality, but the pathway itself will usually be a local sixth-form college, a further education route, or an apprenticeship pathway. Where the school adds value is in guidance, careers education, and the habits that support transition, attendance, routines, and study practice. External review suggests participation in education, employment or training beyond the school is high, which is a positive sign even while GCSE outcomes remain an area for development.

Holy Trinity has multiple entry points, nursery, Reception, and Year 7, plus in-year admissions where places exist. It is oversubscribed on the data available for both Reception and Year 7 entry routes.

For Reception-route offers, there were 74 applications for 42 offers (around 1.76 applications per place). For Year 7-route offers, there were 199 applications for 69 offers (around 2.88 applications per place). Demand at secondary entry is particularly strong by this measure, and that should shape expectations about place availability.

Key deadlines for September 2026 entry (Barnsley)

For primary entry (Reception) starting September 2026, Barnsley’s closing date is 15 January 2026, with the offer day in April 2026.

For secondary transfer starting September 2026, the closing date is 31 October 2025, with the offer day on 2 March 2026.

As a faith school, supplementary information can matter. Barnsley’s secondary admissions booklet flags that Holy Trinity requires a supplementary information form where parents are applying under faith reasons. In practice, families should treat this as a two-track process, submit the coordinated application on time and complete any additional school forms where relevant.

A practical tip for families using distance-based criteria at any school is to use the FindMySchool Map Search tool to calculate your home-to-gate distance using the same measurement approach schools and councils commonly apply. (This review cannot quote last distance offered data for this school because it is not available provided.)

Pastoral support is a key lever for improvement in any through-school, because culture and habits are learned early and either reinforce or undermine learning later. The school’s stated ethos places wellbeing and relationships centrally, and governance materials emphasise a welcoming, values-led approach.

The most recent inspection evidence gives a mixed but usable picture for parents. Many pupils report feeling safe and supported by staff, and safeguarding is confirmed as effective. Attendance improvement work is also described as more systematic, with clearer identification of pupils at risk of low attendance and structured family support.

The more challenging area is confidence, specifically, whether pupils and parents feel bullying concerns are consistently resolved, and whether behaviour systems are applied consistently in the secondary phase. Families considering Years 7 to 11 entry should explore this directly at open events, ask how incidents are logged, how follow-up is communicated to parents, and what happens when an issue repeats.

Breadth matters in a through-school, because extracurricular life is often where confidence, belonging, and aspiration are built, especially for pupils who do not define themselves purely through academic success.

There are two notable strands here. First, leadership and responsibility roles show up early. The school has pupils taking on positions such as junior road safety officers, and a language club is referenced as being led by pupils, which signals that participation is not solely adult-directed. Second, the range includes some genuinely distinctive choices for a state all-through, including a beekeeping club.

Sports and performing arts appear to be supported by facilities that go beyond the minimum. The site includes a performance hall with tiered seating and technical capability, and sports facilities including a floodlit 3G pitch and multi-use games areas. In primary, published enrichment information includes structured lunchtime activities, a choir for Years 5 and 6, art club (run as year-group rotations), and football provision delivered through external partners. The implication for families is that opportunities exist for both participation and identity building, which can be particularly valuable for pupils who need a reason to feel connected to school.

School start and finish times vary by phase. Nursery runs with morning and afternoon sessions (8:45 and 12:30 starts, with 11:45 and 15:30 finishes). Reception typically runs 8:45 to 15:15, Years 1 to 6 typically run 8:55 to 15:15, and Years 7 to 11 run 8:45 to 15:00.

Wraparound childcare is available through the school’s before and after-school provision, open Monday to Friday. Breakfast club runs from 7:30 until the start of school and after-school club runs until 17:30, with sessions priced at £5.

The school sits on Carlton Road, serving families across the Barnsley area. Most day-to-day travel will be by car, walking, or local bus routes, and families should expect peak-time congestion typical of large schools at drop-off and pick-up.

• Secondary consistency. External review highlights variability in secondary curriculum delivery and classroom checks on learning, especially where supply staffing is involved. Families considering Key Stage 3 and 4 should probe how consistency is being built across departments.

• Behaviour and bullying confidence. Behaviour expectations have been raised, but consistent application in the secondary phase remains an area to improve, and some parents report not always feeling reassured about how bullying concerns are resolved. Ask what the follow-up process looks like and how outcomes are communicated.

• No sixth form. Post-16 progression is to external providers, which can suit students ready for a fresh start, but it does remove the option of staying in the same community through A-level study.

• Admissions administration. As a faith school, you may need to complete additional forms if applying under faith criteria, in addition to the local authority application. Missing paperwork is an avoidable risk.

Holy Trinity offers something structurally rare, a single setting from nursery through GCSEs, with a clear faith-led identity and facilities that support sport and performance alongside classroom learning. Primary outcomes and early years provision provide encouraging evidence, and demand suggests many local families see value in the offer.

Best suited to families who want continuity across phases, value a Christian ethos that blends Catholic and Church of England traditions, and are prepared to engage actively with the school through the secondary years while improvement work continues, particularly around consistency of teaching and behaviour expectations.