Birdwell Primary School

Birdwell Primary School is performing strongly and has established a positive environment where pupils feel safe and valued. The school has achieved commendable outcomes in national tests, consistently surpassing national averages in various performance measures, including for pupils with special educational needs and those eligible for the pupil premium. The curriculum is well-structured, and leaders have ensured that pupils develop a deep understanding of subjects, which has resulted in impressive academic achievements.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve above national averages in national tests.
• A well-structured and sequenced curriculum promotes deep subject knowledge.
• Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning and exceptional behavior.
• Effective leadership and governance ensure a supportive school culture.
• Strong personal development programs enhance pupils' cultural capital.

Areas for Improvement

• Some early years provision areas are underutilized, limiting children's learning opportunities.

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 Birdwell Primary School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.6% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Birdwell 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 Birdwell Primary School had 21.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 18.3% of pupils at Birdwell Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% 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 Birdwell Primary School received £6,857 and spent £6,760 for each of its 188 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £84,000 (£447 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

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

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

What is Birdwell Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Birdwell Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Birdwell Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Birdwell Primary School was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Birdwell Primary School have?

Birdwell Primary School has 191 pupils on roll.

What age range does Birdwell Primary School cover?

Birdwell Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Birdwell Primary School?

Birdwell Primary School is at Sheffield Road, Birdwell, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 5XB.