Barnwell School is a Foundation school serving secondary age pupils, located in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The school has 1,315 pupils enrolled. Ofsted: Good (graded inspection, 24 November 2021). Last inspected 6 January 2026. The Headteacher is Maria Townsend. The school is administered by Hertfordshire local authority.
Applications for places at Barnwell School are handled by the school or the local authority (Hertfordshire). See the school's website for admissions arrangements, or read the GOV.UK guide to school admissions.
GCSE Performance (Key Stage 4)
41.5
Attainment 8 · 2024-25
−0.32
Progress 8 · 2023-24
37%
Grade 5+ in English & maths · 2024-25
59%
Grade 4+ in English & maths · 2024-25
3.42
EBacc average point score · 2024-25
14%
Entering the EBacc · 2024-25
Attainment 8 is the school's average GCSE score across eight key subjects — higher is better.
Progress 8 shows how much progress pupils made between ages 11 and 16 compared with similar pupils nationally — 0 is average, positive is above average. Shown for 2023-24, the most recent year the Department for Education published it.
Grade 5+ / 4+ in English & maths is the share of pupils achieving at least a strong pass (5) or a standard pass (4) in both subjects.
EBacc covers the English Baccalaureate subject mix: English, maths, sciences, a language, and history or geography.