Athersley North Primary School

Athersley North Primary School is a larger-than-average primary in an area of well-above-average deprivation, with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Safeguarding standards are met. Most areas of the school are at expected standard: curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development. Leaders are ambitious, staff feel well supported, parents are positive, and pupils benefit from a nurturing, inclusive ethos. Behaviour is calm and respectful, bullying is rare, and suspensions have reduced from historically high levels. However, achievement and attendance require attention. Outcomes at the end of key stage 2, particularly for disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics combined, are below national averages, meaning pupils are not as well prepared for secondary school as they could be. Attendance has declined and persistent absence is above national averages, especially for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Writing practice becomes less consistent as pupils move through school, leading to misconceptions that are not always addressed quickly, and early years activities are not always precise enough to close gaps. Leaders have put appropriate strategies in place, but it is too soon to see their full impact. The next steps focus on closing gaps in key stage 2 reading and writing, improving core subject outcomes towards national averages, embedding attendance systems so that pupils attend more regularly, and refining early years provision, including outdoors. Overall, the school has strong inclusion, pastoral care and leadership, but must secure better outcomes and attendance.

Strengths

• Broad, logically sequenced curriculum with clear important knowledge
• Teachers use a range of strategies, including speaking activities, to engage pupils
• Strong inclusion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND through effective adaptations and interventions
• High-quality pastoral support and strong work with external agencies
• Well-planned early years curriculum with children generally achieving well from their starting points
• Ambitious leadership, knowledgeable middle leaders, and governors who check improvements
• Positive staff culture with regular workload review and investment in development
• Well-embedded personal development, including equality, community and healthy living
• Calm and respectful behaviour, with pupils feeling safe and bullying rare
• Effective phonics provision with good progress and pass rates
• Pupil premium strategy spent appropriately to support disadvantaged pupils
• Safeguarding standards met

Areas for Improvement

• KS2 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics combined are below national, especially for disadvantaged pupils
• Pupils are not consistently well prepared for secondary school
• Writing practice becomes less regular as pupils progress, leading to misconceptions and gaps
• Reading outcomes remain below national averages
• Attendance is declining and persistent absence is above national, particularly for pupils with SEND
• Attendance systems have not yet led to improved attendance
• Early years activities are not always precise enough to develop skills or close gaps
• Impact of recent strategies to improve outcomes is not yet evident

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Athersley North Primary School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.2% of pupils at Athersley North Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Athersley North Primary School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 35.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 25.5% of pupils at Athersley North Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Athersley North Primary School received £7,940 and spent £7,726 for each of its 280 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £156,000 (£556 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Athersley North Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Athersley North Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Athersley North Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Athersley North Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Athersley North Primary School have?

Athersley North Primary School has 290 pupils on roll.

What age range does Athersley North Primary School cover?

Athersley North Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Athersley North Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 49% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Athersley North Primary School?

Athersley North Primary School is at Lindhurst Road, Athersley North, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 3NB.