Darton Primary School
Station Road, Darton, Barnsley South, S75 5AD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HCAT
- Headteacher
- Mrs Natalie Fox
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- HCAT
- Constituency
- Barnsley North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 297
- URN
- 140602
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226394050
About this school
Darton Primary School is a primary academy in Barnsley South. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 297 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Darton 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 June 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 | 44 | 34 | 33 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 41% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 6% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 68% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 59% | 53% | 64% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 65% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 99.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.00 | - | - |
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 Darton 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 | 48% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 41% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 300 |
| 2023/24 | 292 |
| 2024/25 | 288 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Darton Primary School compares
Darton Primary School ranked 57th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 4.2% | 19% | 297 | — |
| Wellgate Primary School | 72% | 6.3% | 23.5% | 424 | 0.8 miles |
| Kexborough Primary School | 57% | 5.6% | 26.9% | 187 | 1.0 miles |
| Mapplewell Primary School | 76% | 4.2% | 12.3% | 343 | 1.0 miles |
| Barugh Green Primary School | 67% | 3.9% | 10% | 263 | 1.4 miles |
| Athersley North Primary School | 49% | 8.3% | 58.2% | 290 | 1.7 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)
- 19.03%
- English as an additional language
- 1.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.17%
- Persistent absence
- 7.2%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wellgate Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Kexborough Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Mapplewell Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Barugh Green Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Athersley North Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Common questions
- What ages does Darton Primary School teach?
- Darton Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley South.
- Who is the headteacher of Darton Primary School?
- The headteacher of Darton Primary School is Mrs Natalie Fox, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Darton Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Darton 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 Darton Primary School?
- Darton Primary School has 297 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Darton Primary School full?
- Darton Primary School has capacity for 270 pupils and 297 on roll (110%), 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 Darton Primary School a faith school?
- No. Darton Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Darton Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Darton Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Darton Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Darton Primary School is part of HCAT. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Darton Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Darton Primary School compare with other schools in Barnsley?
- Darton Primary School ranked 57th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Darton Primary School's absence rate?
- Darton Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Darton Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Darton 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 7 July 2026.