Churchfield Primary School

Churchfield Primary School has demonstrated a solid performance overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in multiple domains with an 'Outstanding' rating in personal development. The school has a strong ethos that prioritizes independent learning and individual growth, and pupils express positive feelings about their experiences, feeling valued and safe. The leadership under the headteacher, Jonathan Bean, has been proactive in curriculum review since September 2021, leading to good educational outcomes, especially in reading and early years. However, the mathematics curriculum needs more development to improve students' outcomes in this area. Despite its strengths, the school faces challenges with attendance, especially among disadvantaged pupils, which is impacting learning opportunities. Although leaders are aware of the need to enhance mathematics instruction and attendance strategies, these areas require ongoing attention to ensure improvements are realized. Overall, Churchfield Primary School is well-positioned within its community, with effective governance and supportive leadership that has garnered strong parental praise.

Strengths

• Strong personal development programme for pupils
• Effective phonics teaching across the school
• Ambitious curriculum that engages pupils
• Positive relationships between adults and pupils
• Support for pupils with SEND is strong
• High level of expertise among staff through professional development

Areas for Improvement

• Mathematics curriculum needs further development to improve reasoning skills
• Some pupils have low attendance impacting their learning

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 Churchfield Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.8% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Churchfield 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 Churchfield Primary School had 22.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.5% 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, 13.4% of pupils at Churchfield Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 13 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 Churchfield Primary School received £11,341 and spent £11,601 for each of its 410 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £75,000 (-£183 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of Waterton Academy Trust, income was £7,509 and spending £7,385 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.

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

Churchfield Primary School is part of Waterton Academy Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• South Kirkby Academy Pontefract
• West End Academy Pontefract
• Kings Oak Primary Barnsley
• King's Meadow Academy Pontefract
• Jump Primary Academy Barnsley
• Walton Primary Academy Wakefield
• Crofton Infant School Wakefield
• Ackworth Mill Dam School Pontefract
• Sharlston Community School Wakefield
• Normanton Junior Academy Normanton

What is Churchfield Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Churchfield Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Churchfield Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Churchfield Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Churchfield Primary School have?

Churchfield Primary School has 419 pupils on roll.

What age range does Churchfield Primary School cover?

Churchfield Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Churchfield Primary School?

Churchfield Primary School is at Snydale Road, Cudworth, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S72 8JR.