Primary school in Barnsley
Athersley South Primary School
Wakefield Road, Smithies, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 3TP
Ofsted
Standards maintained at the last ungraded inspection, on 16 October 2024.
Inspections since September 2024 do not give an overall grade, so there is no one-word judgement to report. The full report sets out what inspectors found.
Key stage 2 results 2024/25
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Reached the higher standard
Average reading score
Average maths score
On the headline measure this school is around the middle of state-funded primaries in England.
Compared with the fifth of schools whose intake is second most disadvantaged, which is where this one sits, it is in the better-performing half.
There are no progress measures for primary schools any more. They were calculated from a key stage 1 baseline, and statutory key stage 1 tests ended in 2023, so nothing has been published since. That makes attainment the only official measure — and attainment tracks intake closely, which is why the comparison against similar schools above is the more useful of the two lines.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 306
- Places
- 280
- How full
- Full — 306 pupils against 280 places
- Girls / boys
- 150 / 156
- Overall absence
- 6%
- Persistently absent
- 19%
primary schools average 5.2%
primary schools average 12.8% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 40%
- English as an additional language
- 5%
- With an EHC plan
- 4%
- On SEN support
- 21%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Barnsley 007B, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 15%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 31%
- Households owning their home
- 53%
- Households in social housing
- 34%
- Households with no car
- 29%
- Adults economically inactive
- 47%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- Ages 3–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Yes
- Boarding
- Day school
- Trust
- EVERY CHILD MATTERS ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Joint Headteacher: Emma Sanderson
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Ward
- St Helens
- Constituency
- Barnsley North
- URN
- 147717
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laithes Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led | Good 2022 | 68% | 0.2 mi |
| Athersley North Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2022 | 49% | 0.6 mi |
| Wilthorpe Primary SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2024 | 71% | 1.1 mi |
| Burton Road Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 76% | 1.1 mi |
| Lift St Helen'sAcademy sponsor led | Good 2024 | 62% | 1.2 mi |
| Carlton Primary AcademyAcademy converter | Good 2023 | 64% | 1.2 mi |
| Mapplewell Primary SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2024 | 76% | 1.2 mi |
| Wellgate Primary SchoolAcademy converter | No grade | 72% | 1.5 mi |
Schools with a similar intake
State-funded primary schools nationally whose share of disadvantaged pupils is closest to this school's. This is the fairest like-for-like comparison the published data supports.
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard |
|---|---|---|
| Primrose Hill SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 76% |
| Brackenbury Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2022 | 77% |
| Saint Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Good 2022 | 76% |
| Blue Gate Fields Junior SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 76% |
| Alderbrook Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2024 | 74% |
| Roding Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 59% |
| Donnington Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 64% |
| Mitchell Brook Primary SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 75% |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.