School profile

Athersley North Primary School

Primary · Community school · Barnsley, S71 3NB

Requires improvement

Map showing Athersley North Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#12,506 of 15,057

Worse than 83% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Athersley North Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 19 May 2026

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Needs attention
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils290
GenderMixed
Head teacherMiss Kirsty Wordsworth
Local authorityBarnsley
Opened01 Sept 1997
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 131157.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolBarnsleyEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths49%, worse than England-63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.2%, worse than England-8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.101, worse than England-106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.100, worse than England-105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.101, worse than England-105
Expected standard in reading54%, worse than England-76%
Expected standard in writing63%, worse than England-73%
Expected standard in maths59%, worse than England-75%
Pupils taking tests41--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils290
Girls151
Boys139
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.54.8%
First language not English11%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.280
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.263
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.6.1%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.74
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.17
Average class size25.4

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
81%
Other White
9%
Other mixed
2.1%
Other Black
2.1%
Traveller of Irish heritage
1.4%
White and Asian
1.4%
Pakistani
1%
African
1%
Other ethnic group
0.7%
White and Black Caribbean
0.3%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher21.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.10.6
Teachers (FTE)13
Teaching assistants (FTE)13.47
Support staff (FTE)17.67
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2517
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2511
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/253
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.30
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.48
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.29
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.29
Applications from another local authority (Reception)1

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolBarnsleyEngland
Overall absence8.5%, worse than England-5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.25.4%, worse than England-13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.7%, worse than England-1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate15.2%
Pupils with one or more suspensions6.2%
Permanent exclusion rate0.3%
Permanent exclusions1

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Athersley North Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.5 miPrimaryLaithes Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.6 miPrimaryAthersley South Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryMapplewell Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miPrimaryWellgate Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miAll-throughHoly Trinity Catholic and Church of England SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
1.3 miPrimaryWilthorpe Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.3 miPrimaryLift MeadsteadAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.4 miPrimarySummerfields Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.4 miSecondaryOutwood Academy CarltonAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.4 miPrimaryCarlton Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Athersley North Primary School

What is Athersley North Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Athersley North Primary School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 19 May 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Athersley North Primary School rank in England?

Athersley North Primary School ranks 12,506 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 83% of schools).

What are Athersley North Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 49% of pupils at Athersley North Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Athersley North Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Athersley North Primary School made 30 offers from 48 applications (1.6 per offer), and 29 of 29 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Athersley North Primary School?

Athersley North Primary School has 290 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Athersley North Primary School?

Athersley North Primary School had 280 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Athersley North Primary School?

At Athersley North Primary School, the average class had 25.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 21.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Athersley North Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Athersley North Primary School missed 8.5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 25.4% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.