Kirk Balk School is a state school  in Barnsley

Barnsley

Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...

, South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

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It was designated a specialist Technology College in September 2002 and serves the communities of Hoyland, Hoyland Common, Elsecar, Birdwell, Pilley, Tankersley and further afield.

The school was an amalgamation of two single-sex secondary schools in 1964, and the introduction of comprehensive entry in 1966.

Performing Arts/Events

The school holds a regular talent contest called The Inter-arts. The contest provides students with a platform to showcase skills from years 7–11. It starts with an X-Factor

The X Factor (UK)

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...

style audition which leads to semi finals, and then the final. The final is hosted by local judges including dance teachers and musicians; the panel may even be graced with the occasional ex-pupil who may even relate somewhat to the nerve-racking experience.

Winners:
2009
Best Band - Legal Friday,
Best Costume - Rachel Cooper and Rebecca Higgs,
Best Dancer - Jessica and Keeley,
Best Duet - DNA,
Best Singer - Lydia Cawthorn,
Overall Winner - Emily Wilson,

2010
Overall Winner - Lydia Cawthorn

School statistics

The school has currently 1,184 pupils on roll. According to the school league tables, Kirk Balk School came third out of fourteen schools in the local area. In the latest ofsted inspection, the school performed accordingly:

Area	Grade
Overall effectiveness of the school	Satisfactory
Achievement and standards	Satisfactory
Personal development and well-being	Satisfactory
Teaching and learning	Good
Curriculum and other activities	Good
Care, guidance and support	Good
Leadership and management	Good

Kirk Balk re-name

In early 2009 it was established that Kirk Balk was considering changing its name when the new school was built (completion April 2011). It is now known that the new school will be named Kirk Balk Community College and work on the new building is complete. More Info