Ward Green Primary School

Ward Green Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel valued, supported and safe. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first graded inspection under section 5; it is part of Hoyland Common Academy Trust and has seen significant leadership and staffing changes over the last 12 months. Leaders have established high expectations, a calm and consistent environment, and a clear, ambitious curriculum from Nursery to Year 6. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage of their education, while safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils feel listened to, valued and supported, and relationships between pupils and staff are strong.
• Leaders have created a calm, consistent and welcoming environment where pupils behave well and attendance has improved.
• The curriculum is clear, ambitious and well sequenced from Nursery through to Year 6.
• Pupils with SEND are fully included in school life and support in lessons is becoming more effective.
• Phonics teaching is precise, staff are well trained, and a strong culture of reading is evident.
• The personal development offer is exceptional, with extensive opportunities through the pupil pledge programme.
• Early years provision is well planned, with a strong focus on ambitious vocabulary and positive relationships with families.
• Leadership at all levels is coherent, and trust leaders and governors provide rigorous support and challenge.

Areas for Improvement

• Some agreed teaching strategies are not used consistently across all curriculum areas, limiting opportunities for pupils to deepen their knowledge.
• Some lower-attaining readers are asked to write and spell words that are too difficult, which holds back their writing success.

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 Ward Green Primary School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.7% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Ward Green Primary School 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 Ward Green Primary School had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.5% 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, 18.5% of pupils at Ward Green Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 Ward Green Primary School received £6,915 and spent £6,648 for each of its 384 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £456,000 (£1,188 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Hcat, income was £7,867 and spending £7,746 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

Ward Green Primary School is part of Hcat, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Worsbrough Common Primary School Barnsley
• The Mill Academy Barnsley
• Queens Road Academy Barnsley
• Horizon Community College Barnsley
• Birdwell Primary School Barnsley
• Summer Lane Primary Barnsley
• West Meadows Primary School Barnsley
• Hoyland Common Primary School Barnsley
• Upperwood Academy Barnsley
• Mapplewell Primary School Barnsley

What is Ward Green Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ward Green Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Ward Green Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ward Green Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Ward Green Primary School have?

Ward Green Primary School has 357 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ward Green Primary School cover?

Ward Green Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Ward Green Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ward Green Primary School?

Ward Green Primary School is at Vernon Road, Worsbrough Bridge, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 5HJ.