Royston St John Baptist CE Primary

Royston St John Baptist Church of England Primary School is performing well overall, with an overall effectiveness rating of 'Good'. The school has made significant improvements since its last inspection, with a notable strength in early years provision, which has been rated as 'Outstanding'. Leaders foster a nurturing environment that encourages a love of learning, supported by strong relationships between staff and pupils. The curriculum is well-structured, particularly in reading, and includes effective support for pupils with SEND. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in writing and assessment strategies in some foundation subjects.

Strengths

• Nurturing environment that fosters a love of learning
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils
• High expectations leading to good achievement, including for pupils with SEND
• Effective phonics teaching and daily reading practices
• Outstanding early years provision
• Inclusive practices and support for all learners
• Well-developed links with the local community

Areas for Improvement

• Inaccurate letter formation hindering writing efficiency
• Assessment strategies in some foundation subjects are underdeveloped

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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary 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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary had 24.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.8% 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, 21.0% of pupils at Royston St John Baptist CE Primary were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.2% 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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary received £6,842 and spent £6,900 for each of its 172 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £13,000 (£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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Royston St John Baptist CE Primary is part of Enhance Academy Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley Barnsley
• St Helen's CE Primary School Pontefract
• Dodworth St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy Barnsley
• Sandal Magna Community Academy Wakefield
• CAPA College Wakefield
• St Michael's CofE Academy Wakefield
• Horbury Bridge Church of England Junior and Infant Academy Wakefield
• Featherstone All Saints CofE Academy Pontefract
• Overthorpe CofE Academy Dewsbury
• St Giles C of E Academy Pontefract

What is Royston St John Baptist CE Primary's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Royston St John Baptist CE Primary is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Royston St John Baptist CE Primary last inspected by Ofsted?

Royston St John Baptist CE Primary was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Royston St John Baptist CE Primary have?

Royston St John Baptist CE Primary has 162 pupils on roll.

What age range does Royston St John Baptist CE Primary cover?

Royston St John Baptist CE Primary for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Royston St John Baptist CE Primary's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Royston St John Baptist CE Primary?

Royston St John Baptist CE Primary is at Vicarage Lane, Royston, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 4QY.