Birkwood Primary School
Darfield Road, Cudworth, Barnsley, S72 8HG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Daniel Wood
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Barnsley North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 339
- Pupils on roll
- 432
- URN
- 106620
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226710447
About this school
Birkwood Primary School is a community primary school in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 432 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Birkwood Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 47 | 48 | 44 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 75% | 61% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 8% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 79% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 85% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 88% | 80% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 107.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.10 | - | - |
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 Birkwood 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 | 70% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 61% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 382 |
| 2023/24 | 393 |
| 2024/25 | 417 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Birkwood Primary School compares
Birkwood Primary School ranked 54th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 43% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 61% | 5% | 31.7% | 432 | — |
| Churchfield Primary School | 80% | 5.8% | 32.4% | 419 | 0.6 miles |
| Milefield Primary School | 67% | 7.2% | 42.4% | 294 | 1.0 miles |
| Cherry Dale Primary School | 63% | 4.8% | 33.8% | 326 | 1.0 miles |
| Ladywood Primary School | 52% | 5.2% | 40.4% | 213 | 1.5 miles |
| Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange | 66% | 4.6% | 44.1% | 394 | 1.6 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
- 6.2%
- Overall absence
- 5%
- Persistent absence
- 11.21%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Churchfield Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Milefield Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Cherry Dale Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Ladywood Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange1.6 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Birkwood Primary School ranks 43rd 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
- 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
- Cherry Dale Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Birkwood Primary School teach?
- Birkwood Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the headteacher of Birkwood Primary School?
- The headteacher of Birkwood Primary School is Mr Daniel Wood, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Birkwood Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Birkwood 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 many pupils are at Birkwood Primary School?
- Birkwood Primary School has 432 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Birkwood Primary School full?
- Birkwood Primary School has capacity for 339 pupils and 432 on roll (127%), 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 Birkwood Primary School a faith school?
- No. Birkwood Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Birkwood Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Birkwood Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Birkwood Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 61% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Birkwood Primary School compare with other schools in Barnsley?
- Birkwood Primary School ranked 54th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 43% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Birkwood Primary School's absence rate?
- Birkwood Primary School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Birkwood Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Birkwood 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.