St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Barnsley is performing well, with an overall effectiveness rated as good. The school has a positive and caring environment where pupils thrive and feel proud of their school. Staff are dedicated and approachable, fostering strong relationships with students. The curriculum is ambitious and tailored to meet the needs of all pupils while promoting enjoyment and inclusion. The leadership team effectively supports teachers and students, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Personal development and pupil behavior are standout areas, showcasing exemplary conduct and a strong understanding of British values among the students.

Strengths

• Pupils show exemplary behavior and are very supportive of one another.
• Staff are dedicated and foster strong relationships with pupils.
• The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum.
• There is a well-structured approach to teaching phonics.
• Pupils with SEND receive timely and precise support.
• The personal development aspect of the school is deeply rooted in its culture.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment at the end of learning sequences is not consistently effective.
• Opportunities for developing higher-level thinking in some subjects are missed.

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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley had 26.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.9% 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, 10.6% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 2024–25 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley received £6,110 and spent £6,346 for each of its 217 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £16,000 (£75 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of Enhance Academy Trust, income was £7,136 and spending £7,057 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in Barnsley · Barnsley local authority: places and applications

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley is part of Enhance Academy Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Dodworth St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy Barnsley
• Royston St John Baptist CE Primary Barnsley
• St Helen's CE Primary School Pontefract
• Sandal Magna Community Academy Wakefield
• Horbury Bridge Church of England Junior and Infant Academy Wakefield
• St Michael's CofE Academy Wakefield
• CAPA College Wakefield
• Overthorpe CofE Academy Dewsbury
• Highburton CofE First Academy Huddersfield
• Lepton CofE Primary Academy Huddersfield

What is St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley have?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley has 208 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley cover?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley?

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley is at Stocks Lane, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S75 2DF.