Birley Spa Primary Academy

Birley Spa Primary Academy is currently judged to 'require improvement' overall, though it demonstrates notable strengths in personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision. The school offers a positive learning environment where pupils generally feel safe and well-supported. However, while there are positive relationships between pupils and rare occurrences of bullying, some behaviour incidents disrupt learning in specific lessons. The school's curriculum is ambitious, but not all subjects clearly define essential knowledge, leading to gaps in learning for some students, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The leadership team is actively working on improvements, and teachers are well-supported in their roles.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other.
• Strong provision for personal development.
• Effective strategies for supporting pupils with SEND.
• High expectations for reading and strong early years provision.
• Pupils engage in a wide range of enriching activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in behaviour policy application.
• Some subjects lack clear definitions of essential knowledge.
• Opportunities to check pupils' understanding are sometimes missed.

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 Birley Spa Primary Academy attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.3% 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, 4.7% of pupils at Birley Spa Primary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Birley Spa Primary Academy had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 42.7% 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, 36.4% of pupils at Birley Spa Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 pupils.

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 Birley Spa Primary Academy received £8,162 and spent £8,114 for each of its 319 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £111,000 (£349 per pupil).

Across all 27 schools of L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, income was £8,020 and spending £8,028 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 Sheffield · Sheffield local authority: places and applications

Birley Spa Primary Academy is part of L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, which runs 27 schools. The nearest others:

• Birley Primary Academy Sheffield
• The Birley Academy Sheffield
• Rainbow Forge Primary Academy Sheffield
• Charnock Hall Primary Academy Sheffield
• Sir Edmund Hillary Academy Worksop
• Warren Primary Academy Nottingham
• Jubilee L.E.A.D. Academy Nottingham
• Da Vinci Academy Derby
• Radford Primary School Academy Nottingham
• St Ann's Well Academy Nottingham

What is Birley Spa Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birley Spa Primary Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Birley Spa Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Birley Spa Primary Academy was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Birley Spa Primary Academy have?

Birley Spa Primary Academy has 291 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birley Spa Primary Academy cover?

Birley Spa Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

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

Where is Birley Spa Primary Academy?

Birley Spa Primary Academy is at Jermyn Crescent, Hackenthorpe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S12 4QE.