Barnby Dun Primary Academy

Barnby Dun Primary Academy is a happy, inclusive and high-performing school. This full section 5 inspection found strong practice across every evaluated area, and safeguarding requirements are met. The school is part of the Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust. Pupils achieve well from the early years onwards, with particular strengths in early reading and mathematics, consistently positive attendance, calm and purposeful behaviour, and a well-sequenced curriculum that prioritises foundational knowledge.

Strengths

• Strong focus on foundational reading, writing and mathematics from the early years onwards.
• Phonics outcomes are consistently above national averages, with effective support for pupils who fall behind.
• Pupils build secure mathematics fluency and problem-solving skills, with multiplication tables check outcomes above national averages.
• Pupils produce high-quality work and demonstrate pride and increasing independence.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils make positive or accelerated progress from their starting points.
• Attendance is consistently above national averages for all pupil groups.
• Behaviour is positive, classrooms are calm and purposeful, and bullying is rare and dealt with quickly.
• The curriculum is well sequenced, with consistent phonics teaching and timely intervention.
• Early years provision is warm and well organised, and most children reach a good level of development.
• Communication and language development is a particular strength in the early years.
• The school has a highly inclusive culture and a well-implemented ‘disadvantaged-first’ approach.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with rigorous oversight and strong trust support.
• Staff feel respected and supported, and their professional development and wellbeing are prioritised.
• Personal development is comprehensive, including pupil leadership, enrichment and pastoral support.

Areas for Improvement

• Disadvantaged pupils’ progress and outcomes are not consistently strong enough to exceed national expectations by the end of key stage 2.
• The gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils remains wide, particularly in writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics.
• Too few pupils attain the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.

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 Barnby Dun Primary Academy attended 97.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Barnby Dun Primary Academy 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 Barnby Dun Primary Academy had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.1% 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, 6.5% of pupils at Barnby Dun Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Barnby Dun Primary Academy received £6,801 and spent £6,682 for each of its 246 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £416,000 (£1,689 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust, income was £7,326 and spending £7,314 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Barnby Dun Primary Academy is part of Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Kirk Sandall Infant School Doncaster
• Kirk Sandall Junior School Doncaster
• Hungerhill School Doncaster
• Dunsville Primary School Doncaster
• Doncaster UTC Doncaster
• West Road Primary Academy Doncaster

What is Barnby Dun Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Barnby Dun Primary Academy is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Barnby Dun Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Barnby Dun Primary Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Barnby Dun Primary Academy have?

Barnby Dun Primary Academy has 230 pupils on roll.

What age range does Barnby Dun Primary Academy cover?

Barnby Dun Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Barnby Dun Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Barnby Dun Primary Academy?

Barnby Dun Primary Academy is at Church Road, Barnby Dun, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN3 1BG.