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CSchool Grade
Schools in Stocksbridge · DfE, Ofsted

Stocksbridge’s state schools get lower results than 70% of towns in England

Across their best eight GCSEs, pupils in Stocksbridge score 40.3 on Attainment 8, below both South Yorkshire’s towns (45.4) and towns in England (45.9). 4 state-funded schools are located in Stocksbridge’s built-up area. Stocksbridge grades C for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #46 of 63 in South Yorkshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.

State schools
4
3 primary, 1 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
61%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
40.3
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
39%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%

Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about Stocksbridge’s schools

Strong primaries, weaker secondaries

Stocksbridge’s secondary results beat 19% of English towns; its primary results beat 49%. 61% of the town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 58% across Sheffield. Every school’s result ↓

Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.

School Grade

Stocksbridge grades C for schools

Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.

Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (61% meet the standard)Better than 49% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (40.3 and 39%)Better than 19% of towns in England

The primary figure lifts Stocksbridge; the secondary figure holds it back.

The primary figure: 2 primaries in the town, 273 pupils in results over three years. Stocksbridge has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (143 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.

Map

Where Stocksbridge’s 4 state schools are

Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Stocksbridge’s built-up area.

PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter

Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.

Getting a place

How school places work in Stocksbridge

Sheffield Council handles applications for every state school in Stocksbridge, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.

Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.

When a school is full

Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 1 of Stocksbridge’s 4 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.

Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work

How full each school is

Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.

Stocksbridge High87%
St Ann's69%
Stocksbridge Nursery Infant incl. nursery68%
Stocksbridge Junior66%

DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.

The schools

4 state schools in Stocksbridge

Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.

Letters of Stocksbridge’s schoolsA 0B 1C 1D 11 without a letter

Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.

Ofsted

Ofsted report cards

Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.

Good 1Report card 1Ungraded inspection only 2

Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.

Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 1 of Stocksbridge’s 4 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.

SchoolSafeguardingAchievementCurriculum and teachingInclusionAttendance and behaviourPersonal development and well-beingLeadership and governance
Stocksbridge High SchoolMay 2026MetUrgent improvementNeeds attentionNeeds attentionUrgent improvementNeeds attentionNeeds attention
Who runs them

4 academy trusts

Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.

Run bySchoolsPupilsTheir letters
Minerva Learning TrustStocksbridge High1784C
Chorus Education TrustStocksbridge Junior1237B−
Peak EdgeStocksbridge Nursery Infant1184—
St Clare Catholic Multi Academy TrustSt Ann's197D
After 16

Where Stocksbridge’s teenagers go at 16

In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.

The state secondary in Stocksbridge teaches 11 to 16. The nearest college is Barnsley College, a further-education college 6.8 miles away.

Secondaries with a sixth form
0 of 1
state schools in Stocksbridge
Colleges within 12 miles
3
nearest: Barnsley College
Grammar schools in Sheffield
0
no selective state secondaries
CollegeDistance
Barnsley CollegeFurther-education college · S70 2YW6.8 mi
The Sheffield CollegeFurther-education college · S2 2RL9.3 mi
RNN GroupFurther-education college · S65 1EG10.6 mi
Towns its size

327th of 487 English towns of 5,000 to 10,000

Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Stocksbridge, and the top and bottom of the group.

#TownSchoolsKS2Attainment 8Grade 5+ E&M
1Bowdon Greater ManchesterA+83%78.499%
…
323Thornton West YorkshireC57%44.144%
324Cheddar SomersetC50%47.248%
325Crook County DurhamC60%4240%
326St Ives CornwallC61%42.436%
327Stocksbridge South YorkshireC61%40.339%
328Glastonbury SomersetC57%45.240%
329Hattersley Greater ManchesterC62%39.433%
330Haworth West YorkshireC64%37.126%
331Holbeach LincolnshireC64%38.724%
…
487Amble NorthumberlandD−35%32.716%
Neighbours

Stocksbridge and the places around it

Coloured by School Grade.

Deepcar: C+Thurgoland: A+Oxspring: AWharncliffe Side: APenistone: AThurlstone: A−Oughtibridge: B−DeepcarThurgolandOxspringWharncliffe SidePenistoneThurlstoneOughtibridgeStocksbridge
TownSchoolsKS2Att. 8
Stocksbridge
4 schools
C61%40.3
Deepcar
2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1 mi
C+65%40.3
Thurgoland
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.2 mi
A+77%—
Oxspring
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.5 mi
A72%51.4
Wharncliffe Side
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.9 mi
A72%49.4
Penistone
2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.1 mi
A68%51.4
Thurlstone
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4 mi
A−66%51.4
Oughtibridge
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4 mi
B−62%44.8

Thurgoland has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
  • Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Stocksbridge: 6% (England’s average school: 8%).
  • Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
  • Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
  • Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
  • Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
  • Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
  • Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.

Questions about schools in Stocksbridge

Are schools in Stocksbridge good?

Stocksbridge’s state schools earn a C against schools across England: primary results beat 49% of towns in England; secondary results beat 19% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Sheffield council.

What is the best primary school in Stocksbridge?

On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Stocksbridge Junior School: 64% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.

Do Stocksbridge secondary schools have sixth forms?

No. The state secondary teaches 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.

How do I apply for a school place in Stocksbridge?

Through Sheffield Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).

How many state schools are in Stocksbridge?

4 open state-funded schools are located in Stocksbridge’s built-up area: 3 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.

Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.