Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School
High Street, Penistone, Sheffield, S36 6BS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Susie Arnold
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sheffield
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Penistone and Stocksbridge
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 600
- Pupils on roll
- 493
- URN
- 136941
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226762496
About this school
Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Sheffield. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 493 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- 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 | 90 | 84 | 72 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 55% | 74% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 1% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 64% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 73% | 92% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 71% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 103.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.30 | - | - |
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 Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided 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 | 66% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 74% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 565 |
| 2023/24 | 542 |
| 2024/25 | 518 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 22nd of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 94% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74% | 3.4% | 13.5% | 493 | — |
| Springvale Primary School | 80% | 3.4% | 12.3% | 227 | 0.7 miles |
| Thurlstone Primary School | 37% | 3.3% | 6% | 182 | 0.9 miles |
| Oxspring Primary School | 78% | 2.9% | 9.1% | 135 | 1.5 miles |
| Millhouse Primary School | 73% | 3.8% | 19.1% | 100 | 1.7 miles |
| Hoylandswaine Primary School | 85% | 3% | 2.3% | 94 | 1.8 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)
- 13.54%
- English as an additional language
- 1.9%
- Overall absence
- 3.43%
- Persistent absence
- 6.1%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Springvale Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Thurlstone Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Sheffield
-
Oxspring Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Sheffield
-
Millhouse Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Sheffield
-
Hoylandswaine Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Sheffield
Other schools in Sheffield
Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 30th of the 139 ranked primary schools in Sheffield.
- Abbey Lane Primary School Primary
- Abbeyfield Primary Academy Primary
- Acres Hill Community Primary School Primary
- Angram Bank Primary School Primary
- Anns Grove Primary School Primary
- Anston Brook Primary School Primary
- Anston Greenlands Primary School Primary
- Anston Hillcrest Primary School Primary
- Anston Park Infant School Primary
- Anston Park Junior School Primary
- Arbourthorne Community Primary School Primary
- Aston All Saints CofE (A) Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Sheffield.
- Who is the headteacher of Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mrs Susie Arnold, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided 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 Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School has 493 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 600 pupils and 493 on roll (82%), so it has space against 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 Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Sheffield.
- Does Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 74% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School rank locally?
- Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 22nd of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 94% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided 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 1 July 2026.