Summerfields Primary Academy

Summerfields Primary Academy has made significant improvements since its last inspection, moving from requiring improvement to achieving a good overall effectiveness rating. The school promotes a strong sense of community among pupils, who demonstrate pride, happiness, and a commitment to the school's values of enjoyment, growth, resilience, and respect. Relationships within the school are a notable strength, and parents appreciate the dedication shown by staff. The curriculum is well-structured in core subjects like English, mathematics, and science, although some subject areas still need further development to ensure consistency in teaching and clarity in learning objectives. Overall, the school is on an upward trajectory, creating a positive environment for both academic and personal growth.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe at school.
• Strong relationships within the school community.
• High expectations for academic achievement.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Well-structured early years curriculum that engages children.
• Strong emphasis on fostering a love of reading.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent delivery of the phonics programme affecting reading fluency.
• Curriculum development is lacking in some subjects, leading to unclear learning objectives.

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 Summerfields Primary Academy attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Summerfields 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 Summerfields Primary Academy had 27.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 9.8% of pupils at Summerfields Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.7% 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 Summerfields Primary Academy received £6,558 and spent £6,305 for each of its 210 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £376,000 (£1,792 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Pioneer Academies Community Trust (Pact), income was £5,167 and spending £5,212 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 Barnsley · Barnsley local authority: places and applications

Summerfields Primary Academy is part of Pioneer Academies Community Trust (Pact), which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Parkside Primary Academy Barnsley
• Carlton Primary Academy Barnsley
• Greenfield Primary School Barnsley

What is Summerfields Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Summerfields Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was Summerfields Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Summerfields Primary Academy was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does Summerfields Primary Academy have?

Summerfields Primary Academy has 214 pupils on roll.

What age range does Summerfields Primary Academy cover?

Summerfields Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 88% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Summerfields Primary Academy?

Summerfields Primary Academy is at Haigh Croft Summer Lane, Royston, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 4SF.