Barnwell School is a state-maintained secondary school in Stevenage, United Kingdom with 1,270 pupils. Ofsted: Report card, 6 January 2026: strong standard in 1 area, expected standard in 4, needs attention in 2; safeguarding met. As of 8 November 2026 it is advertising 1 vacancy: Child in Care & Kinship Support Officer- Maternity Cover Fixed Term (closes 4 December). It holds a Home Office licence to sponsor Skilled Worker visas.
Head
Maria Townsend, Headteacher
Type
State-maintained, Secondary
Pupils
1,270 pupils · 50% girls · 30.3% eligible for free school meals · 15.8% with English as an additional language DfE school census, 2025/26
Special needs
217 (17.1%) on SEN support · 70 (5.5%) with an education, health and care plan DfE, Special educational needs in England, 2025/26
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Location
Stevenage, SG2 9SW, United Kingdom
Telephone
01438222500
Visa sponsorship
Holds a Home Office licence to sponsor Skilled Worker visas (rated A). Register of licensed sponsors, 5 November 2026. A licence means the employer can sponsor; each advert says whether a post does.
Report card, 6 January 2026: strong standard in 1 area, expected standard in 4, needs attention in 2; safeguarding met Last graded Good (graded 24 November 2021)
37 Hours per week, term time only Monday to Thursday 8am - 4pm, Friday 8am - 3.30pmH6 - £30,515 per annum (actual pro rata £26.100 approx.)Working closely with students, families…
Exam results
Year
Attainment 8
Grade 5+ Eng. & maths
2025/26 provisional
38.7
33.1%
2024/25
41.5
37.4%
2023/24
39.6
33.2%
Department for Education performance tables. Attainment 8 is the average score across eight GCSE-level subjects (out of 90). Grade 5+ is the share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths. Provisional figures can change when the revised tables are published. Progress 8 is not published for 2024/25 or 2025/26.
Inspections
Report card (6 January 2026)
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Needs attention
Personal development and well-being
Expected standard
Post-16
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met
Date
Inspection
Outcome
6 January 2026
Report card
Strong standard in 1 area, expected standard in 4, needs attention in 2; safeguarding met
24 November 2021
Graded inspection
Good
23 February 2021
Monitoring visit
Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to provide education in the current circumstances
18 January 2018
Graded inspection
Requires improvement
Ofsted. Inspections graded schools Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate until August 2024. From September 2024 there were no overall grades; since November 2025 a report card grades each area: exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention or urgent improvement.
Staff
Year
Teachers
Pupils per teacher
Leavers
Vacancies
Average pay
2025/26
87.2
14.6
–
0
£49,934
2024/25
90.6
14.5
13%
1
£46,165
2023/24
79.0
16.7
12%
0
£43,156
2022/23
78.2
15.7
20%
0
£42,429
2021/22
72.2
15.9
15%
0
£42,827
2020/21
73.8
14.3
15%
0
£42,760
Earlier years (2010/11 to 2019/20)
Year
Teachers
Pupils per teacher
Leavers
Vacancies
Average pay
2019/20
73.0
14.3
12%
0
£41,872
2018/19
75.5
13.4
12%
0
£39,779
2017/18
74.3
14.0
18%
0
£38,956
2016/17
79.7
13.6
23%
0
£37,839
2015/16
87.0
13.6
22%
0
£38,059
2014/15
98.0
12.8
23%
0
£35,857
2013/14
101.4
13.1
20%
0
£37,167
2012/13
104.0
13.3
25%
0
£37,321
2011/12
105.3
13.8
17%
0
£39,143
2010/11
101.0
15.0
21%
0
£39,684
Department for Education, School Workforce Census. Teachers are full-time equivalent. "Leavers" is the share of teachers who moved to another state school or left state schools by the following November, so the latest year has none yet. Vacancies are posts vacant or filled temporarily on census day in November. Average pay is for all teachers, leaders included.
Attendance
Year
Sessions missed
Unauthorised
Persistently absent
Severely absent
2025/26
11.5%
6.5%
31.9%
7.5%
2024/25
10.4%
5.3%
26.9%
4.8%
2023/24
10.6%
3.9%
30.7%
5.2%
2022/23
10.2%
3.6%
28.3%
4.4%
2021/22
8.1%
2.6%
22.2%
1.9%
2020/21
4.6%
1.5%
12.4%
0.9%
Earlier years (2016/17 to 2018/19)
Year
Sessions missed
Unauthorised
Persistently absent
Severely absent
2018/19
5.9%
1.6%
13.4%
0.6%
2017/18
5.7%
1.2%
17.4%
0.3%
2016/17
5.5%
1.5%
15.4%
0.7%
Department for Education, pupil absence statistics, autumn and spring terms of each year so years compare. Persistently absent: share of pupils who missed 10% or more of sessions. Severely absent: share who missed half or more. There are no figures for 2019/20 (school closures).
Hiring history
9 past vacancies seen since May 2026: 5 teaching, 4 support. Most often advertised: Teaching Assistant Visually Impaired Support (2), Cover Supervisor, Examinations Invigilators. Last advertised October 2026.
Counted from the job services and school websites EduAtlas reads; a school may also advertise elsewhere.
Register details and head: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools. Results: Department for Education performance tables. Vacancies: public job services and the school's own website, checked continuously. Nothing here is estimated.