Furness AcademySt Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Barrow-in-Furness.
Summary of the comparison
Furness Academy and St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow are secondary schools in Barrow-in-Furness.
Furness Academy scores 52 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow scores 48 out of 100 (grade D, below average). Furness Academy is ahead on our composite score.
Furness Academy was judged Good and St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 42.4 for Furness Academy and 34.6 for St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow.
GCSE Attainment 8 has fallen at Furness Academy (45.7 in 2021-22, 42.4 in 2024-25) and has fallen at St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow (43.3 in 2021-22, 34.6 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | Barrow-in-FurnessFurness Academy | Barrow-in-FurnessSt Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D52/100Stronger figure | D48/100 | |
| Local ranking | 14th of 20 in Westmorland and Furness Stronger figure | 19th of 20 in Westmorland and Furness | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy sponsor led | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,188 | 674 | |
| Capacity | 1,200 | 916 | |
| Location | Barrow-in-Furness, LA13 9BB | Barrow-in-Furness, LA13 9LE | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 42.4 Stronger figure | 34.6 | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 35.6% Stronger figure | 23.3% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 57.8% Stronger figure | 43.3% | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 28.9% Stronger figure | 19.3% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.53 Stronger figure | 3.01 | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 225 | 150 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,188 | 674 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 29.9% | 29.1% | |
| English as an additional language | 1.9% | 9.5% | |
| SEN support | 10.9% | 17.7% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 6.5% | 5.8% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 9.3% Stronger figure | 9.8% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 25.7% Stronger figure | 27.4% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Furness Academy
St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow
Full profiles: Furness Academy · St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow