Kirk Balk Academy

Kirk Balk Academy is a secondary school located in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Northern Education Trust. The school mainly serves students living in its immediate area: Birdwell, Hoyland, Jump, Tankersley, Elsecar, Wombwell and Pilley.

The school is an 11-16 academy teaching a wide curriculum in lower school (Y7-9) with a variety of qualifications in the upper school (Y10-11), such as GCSE and BTEC.

Construction of a new building for the school was finished in late 2011, allowing for the demolition of the old building. This made space for a new school sports field. Additionally, the school changed its name from Kirk Balk School to Kirk Balk Community College, changing the logo and uniform in the process. In September 2014, the school was renamed Kirk Balk Academy, and in March 2015 it was formally converted to academy status, sponsored by the Northern Education Trust. In September 2016, Ms Jo Nolan became the Executive Principal of Kirk Balk Academy until 2018, when she was replaced by Mr Dean Buckley.

House System
Kirk Balk Academy had 4 houses: Each house has its own ethos, guiding standards, and routines which help develop a family culture.
 * Rosalind Franklin House (Red)
 * Pablo Picasso House (Yellow)
 * Leonardo da Vinci House (Green)
 * William Shakespeare House (Blue)

Events
The school hosts a whole school inter-house sports day in the last week of term each year. Students represent their Forms in athletic track and field events. Students also can compete through taking part in a range of other team sports, such as football, rounders, and tennis.

Timetable
The school timetable consists of one set week. This provides a variety of lessons, so that the pupils receive the correct number of hours in a lesson each week. The school day starts at 8:20am and finishes at 2:30pm. A wide range of enrichment activities are run from 2:30pm to 3:30pm, and can help students to further develop their academic progress.

Ofsted Inspection
In the latest Ofsted inspection (January 2020), the school was rated as good.