Find the best primary schools in Barnsley. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Barnsley has 79 primary schools, all in Barnsley council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 79, 16 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Barnsley primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Gawber Primary School | Mixed | 4.9 / 5 |
| Hoylandswaine Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Springvale Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Hunningley Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Thurgoland Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Silkstone Common Junior and Infant School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Birdwell Primary School |
There are 79 primary schools in Barnsley. Of those, 1 is an all-through school, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 79 primary schools in Barnsley, 16 have a religious character: 11 Church of England, 4 Roman Catholic and 1 Church of England/Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Gawber Primary School (4.9), Hoylandswaine Primary School (4.8), Springvale Primary School (4.7), Hunningley Primary Academy (4.6) and Thurgoland Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School (4.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 79 schools here, 74 have enough published data for a rating.
| Mixed |
| 4.3 / 5 |
| Tankersley St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Churchfield Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Oxspring Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Millhouse Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| The Forest Academy | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Silkstone Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Wellgate Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Mapplewell Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Joseph Locke Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Summerfields Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Oakwell Rise Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Keresforth Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Bank End Primary Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| High View Primary Learning Centre | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Outwood Primary Academy Darfield | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Burton Road Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Carlton Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Laithes Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Birkwood Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Jump Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Lift Meadstead | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Parkside Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Hoyland Common Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Wombwell Park Street Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Worsbrough Common Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Elsecar Holy Trinity CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Goldthorpe Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Lacewood Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Sandhill Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Thurlstone Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Cherry Dale Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Milefield Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Oakhill Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Shawlands Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Athersley South Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Royston St John Baptist CE Primary | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| Dodworth St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| Lift St Helen's | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Wilthorpe Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Carrfield Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Upperwood Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Lift Shafton | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Highgate Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Hoyland Springwood Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Darton Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| St Helen's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.2 / 5 |
| St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.2 / 5 |
| The Hill Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Kexborough Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Barugh Green Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| All Saints Academy Darfield | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Heather Garth Primary School Academy | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| West Meadows Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Ward Green Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| The Mill Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Gooseacre Primary Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School | Church of England/Roman Catholic, all-through | 2.4 / 5 |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 2.4 / 5 |
| Holy Rood Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 2.3 / 5 |
| Ladywood Primary School | Mixed | 2.3 / 5 |
| Athersley North Primary School | Mixed | 2.1 / 5 |
| Queens Road Academy | Mixed | 2.0 / 5 |
| Greenfield Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Jump Primary Academy | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Kings Oak Primary | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Summer Lane Primary | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| The Ellis Church of England Primary School | Church of England | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.