Highgate Primary Academy
Nicholas Lane, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, S63 9AS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ASTREA ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Laura Sunley
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Astrea Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Barnsley South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 314
- Pupils on roll
- 327
- URN
- 138701
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01709892160
About this school
Highgate Primary Academy is a primary academy in Rotherham. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 327 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 7 October 2022, 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 | 40 | 44 | 44 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 66% | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 5% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 75% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 70% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 66% | 84% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.10 | - | - |
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 Highgate Primary Academy 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 | 68% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 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 | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 351 |
| 2023/24 | 349 |
| 2024/25 | 356 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Highgate Primary Academy compares
Highgate Primary Academy ranked 21st 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 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75% | 5.9% | 38.9% | 327 | — |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School | 35% | 5.6% | 27.1% | 160 | 0.6 miles |
| Carrfield Primary Academy | 63% | 5.8% | 35.6% | 282 | 0.6 miles |
| Goldthorpe Primary Academy | 68% | 5.3% | 49.8% | 293 | 0.7 miles |
| Heather Garth Primary School Academy | 63% | 5.2% | 38.9% | 221 | 0.8 miles |
| Lacewood Primary School | 67% | 6.4% | 37% | 242 | 1.0 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)
- 38.92%
- English as an additional language
- 5.1%
- Overall absence
- 5.86%
- Persistent absence
- 15.94%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Rotherham
-
Carrfield Primary Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Rotherham
-
Goldthorpe Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Rotherham
-
Heather Garth Primary School Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Rotherham
-
Lacewood Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Rotherham
Other schools in Rotherham
Highgate Primary Academy ranks 9th of the 68 ranked primary schools in Rotherham.
- Badsley Primary School Primary
- Blackburn Primary School Primary
- Bramley Grange Primary School Primary
- Bramley Sunnyside Infant School Primary
- Bramley Sunnyside Junior School Primary
- Brampton Ellis CofE Primary School Primary
- Brinsworth Howarth Primary School Primary
- Brinsworth Manor Infant School Primary
- Brinsworth Manor Junior School Primary
- Brinsworth Whitehill Primary School Primary
- Broom Valley Community School Primary
- Canklow Woods Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Highgate Primary Academy teach?
- Highgate Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Rotherham.
- Who is the headteacher of Highgate Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Highgate Primary Academy is Mrs Laura Sunley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Highgate Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highgate Primary Academy, 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 Highgate Primary Academy?
- Highgate Primary Academy has 327 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Highgate Primary Academy full?
- Highgate Primary Academy has capacity for 314 pupils and 327 on roll (104%), 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 Highgate Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Highgate Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Highgate Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Highgate Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Highgate Primary Academy?
- Highgate Primary Academy is part of ASTREA ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Highgate Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% 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 Highgate Primary Academy rank locally?
- Highgate Primary Academy ranked 21st 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 41% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Highgate Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Highgate Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Highgate Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Highgate Primary Academy'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.