Highgate Primary Academy

Highgate Primary Academy is performing well overall, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection. The school creates a respectful and orderly environment where pupils feel safe and enjoy learning. Leaders have established a well-structured curriculum and have focused on improving attendance and pupil engagement. Significant efforts have been made to enhance the early years' provision and address learning gaps caused by the pandemic, setting a solid foundation for future learning.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate respect and politeness toward staff and each other.
• The school provides a calm and orderly environment that supports learning.
• Leaders have a strong understanding of school improvements needed.
• There are increased opportunities for extracurricular activities.
• Reading and mathematics are assessed effectively to address pupil needs.
• Staff are well-trained to support early reading and phonics instruction.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers sometimes miss opportunities to revisit core knowledge critical for building new understanding.
• Some pedagogical approaches in foundation subjects are not effective for long-term knowledge retention.

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 Highgate Primary Academy attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.9% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Highgate 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 Highgate Primary Academy had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.3% 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, 18.0% of pupils at Highgate Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 Highgate Primary Academy received £6,485 and spent £6,804 for each of its 336 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £118,000 (£350 per pupil).

Across all 26 schools of Astrea Academy Trust, income was £8,290 and spending £8,206 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 Rotherham · Barnsley local authority: places and applications

Highgate Primary Academy is part of Astrea Academy Trust, which runs 26 schools. The nearest others:

• Astrea Academy Dearne Rotherham
• Carrfield Primary Academy Rotherham
• Gooseacre Primary Academy Rotherham
• The Hill Primary Academy Rotherham
• Netherwood Academy Barnsley
• Denaby Main Primary Academy Doncaster
• Castle Academy Doncaster
• Waverley Academy Doncaster
• Hexthorpe Primary School Doncaster
• Atlas Academy Doncaster

What is Highgate Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highgate Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Highgate Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Highgate Primary Academy was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Highgate Primary Academy have?

Highgate Primary Academy has 327 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highgate Primary Academy cover?

Highgate Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Highgate Primary Academy?

Highgate Primary Academy is at Nicholas Lane, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S63 9AS.