The Mill Academy
Lobwood, Worsbrough Bridge, Barnsley, S70 5EP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HCAT
- Headteacher
- Miss Lisa Clayton
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- HCAT
- Constituency
- Barnsley South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 220
- Pupils on roll
- 211
- URN
- 141097
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226289096
About this school
The Mill Academy is a primary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 211 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 19 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 | 32 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 56% | 47% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 0% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 63% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 66% | 57% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 73% | 80% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 The Mill 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 | 56% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 47% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 225 |
| 2023/24 | 216 |
| 2024/25 | 220 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Mill Academy compares
The Mill Academy ranked 50th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63% | 5.9% | 47.4% | 211 | — |
| Bank End Primary Academy | 92% | 5.7% | 51.8% | 199 | 0.4 miles |
| Ward Green Primary School | 63% | 4.8% | 31.4% | 357 | 0.4 miles |
| The Forest Academy | 70% | 6.1% | 39.4% | 346 | 0.7 miles |
| Worsbrough Common Primary School | 66% | 5% | 39.3% | 393 | 0.7 miles |
| Hunningley Primary Academy | 87% | 4.9% | 45.8% | 426 | 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)
- 47.4%
- English as an additional language
- 11.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.94%
- Persistent absence
- 11.76%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bank End Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Ward Green Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
The Forest Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Worsbrough Common Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Hunningley Primary Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
The Mill Academy ranks 40th 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 The Mill Academy teach?
- The Mill Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the headteacher of The Mill Academy?
- The headteacher of The Mill Academy is Miss Lisa Clayton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Mill Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Mill 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 The Mill Academy?
- The Mill Academy has 211 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is The Mill Academy full?
- The Mill Academy has capacity for 220 pupils and 211 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Mill Academy a faith school?
- No. The Mill Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does The Mill Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Mill Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs The Mill Academy?
- The Mill Academy 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 The Mill Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 56% in 2022/23 and 63% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Mill Academy rank locally?
- The Mill Academy ranked 50th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Mill Academy's absence rate?
- The Mill Academy's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Mill Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Mill 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 7 July 2026.