Outwood Primary Academy Darfield

Outwood Primary Academy Darfield has been rated as 'Good' overall in its inspection, reflective of its consistent performance in various domains, including the quality of education, behaviour, and leadership. The school cultivates a positive environment where pupils are encouraged to exhibit good behaviour and actively engage with their learning. With a strong curriculum that has been well-structured and supports effective teaching practices, pupils have benefitted from high-quality educational experiences, especially in mathematics and early reading. However, the school faces challenges with attendance, as some pupils are persistently absent, impacting their access to the comprehensive curriculum offered.

Strengths

• Well-planned and sequenced curriculum.
• Strong teaching of early reading and phonics.
• High-quality mathematics instruction.
• Positive behaviour and attitudes among pupils.
• Effective school leadership and support from the trust.
• Engaging early years provision tailored to children's interests.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent application of attendance procedures leading to declining rates.
• Some pupils reading books that do not match their phonic knowledge.

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 Outwood Primary Academy Darfield attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.9% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Outwood Primary Academy Darfield 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 Outwood Primary Academy Darfield had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.4% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Outwood Primary Academy Darfield were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 Outwood Primary Academy Darfield received £7,320 and spent £7,601 for each of its 213 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £300,000 (£1,412 per pupil).

Across all 40 schools of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, income was £8,313 and spending £8,200 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

Outwood Primary Academy Darfield is part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange Barnsley
• Outwood Academy Shafton Barnsley
• Outwood Academy Carlton Barnsley
• Outwood Academy Hemsworth Pontefract
• Outwood Primary Academy Newstead Green Wakefield
• Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane Pontefract
• Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands Doncaster
• Outwood Academy Adwick Doncaster
• Outwood Academy Freeston Normanton
• Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill Wakefield

What is Outwood Primary Academy Darfield's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Outwood Primary Academy Darfield is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Outwood Primary Academy Darfield last inspected by Ofsted?

Outwood Primary Academy Darfield was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Outwood Primary Academy Darfield have?

Outwood Primary Academy Darfield has 221 pupils on roll.

What age range does Outwood Primary Academy Darfield cover?

Outwood Primary Academy Darfield for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Outwood Primary Academy Darfield?

Outwood Primary Academy Darfield is at Snape Hill Road, Darfield, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S73 9LT.