Joseph Locke Primary School
Shaw Street, Barnsley, S70 6JL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Co-Acting Headteacher
- Mrs Judith Brock
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Barnsley South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 444
- Pupils on roll
- 449
- URN
- 106611
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226729910
About this school
Joseph Locke Primary School is a community primary school in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 449 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 6 June 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 49 | 54 | 56 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 48% | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 61% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 63% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 74% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 101.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 101.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Joseph Locke Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Barnsley average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 65% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 48% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 75% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 424 |
| 2023/24 | 463 |
| 2024/25 | 448 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Joseph Locke Primary School compares
Joseph Locke Primary School ranked 20th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75% | 4.9% | 31.7% | 449 | — |
| Shawlands Primary School | 64% | 5.2% | 20.3% | 311 | 0.0 miles |
| Holy Rood Catholic Primary School | 53% | 4.4% | 17.5% | 199 | 0.0 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley | 51% | 4.4% | 12.4% | 208 | 0.4 miles |
| Summer Lane Primary | — | — | — | 285 | 0.6 miles |
| Queens Road Academy | 54% | 5.4% | 29% | 208 | 0.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 31.68%
- English as an additional language
- 50.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.85%
- Persistent absence
- 10.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shawlands Primary School0.0 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Holy Rood Catholic Primary School0.0 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley0.4 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Summer Lane Primary0.6 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Queens Road Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Joseph Locke Primary School ranks 17th of the 59 ranked primary schools in Barnsley.
- All Saints Academy Darfield Primary
- Athersley North Primary School Primary
- Athersley South Primary School Primary
- Bank End Primary Academy Primary
- Barugh Green Primary School Primary
- Birdwell Primary School Primary
- Birkwood Primary School Primary
- Brampton Cortonwood Infant School Primary
- Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Burton Road Primary School Primary
- Carlton Primary Academy Primary
- Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Joseph Locke Primary School teach?
- Joseph Locke Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the co-acting headteacher of Joseph Locke Primary School?
- The co-acting headteacher of Joseph Locke Primary School is Mrs Judith Brock, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Joseph Locke Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Joseph Locke Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Joseph Locke Primary School?
- Joseph Locke Primary School has 449 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Joseph Locke Primary School full?
- Joseph Locke Primary School has capacity for 444 pupils and 449 on roll (101%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Joseph Locke Primary School a faith school?
- No. Joseph Locke Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Joseph Locke Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Joseph Locke Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Joseph Locke Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 75% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Joseph Locke Primary School rank locally?
- Joseph Locke Primary School ranked 20th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Joseph Locke Primary School's absence rate?
- Joseph Locke Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Joseph Locke Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Joseph Locke Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.