Sandhill Primary School
Dearne Street, Great Houghton, Barnsley, S72 0EQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- EVERY CHILD MATTERS ACADEMY TRUST
- Executive Headteacher/Ceo
- Mr James Haywood
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Every Child Matters Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Barnsley North
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 244
- URN
- 141917
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226106031
About this school
Sandhill Primary School is a primary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 244 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Sandhill 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
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
- 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 | 36 | 30 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 69% | 60% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 7% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 80% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 90% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 72% | 70% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 108.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.50 | - | - |
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 Sandhill 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 | 69% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 60% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 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% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 231 |
| 2023/24 | 239 |
| 2024/25 | 245 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sandhill Primary School compares
Sandhill Primary School ranked 53rd of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 7% | 43% | 244 | — |
| Gooseacre Primary Academy | 69% | 6% | 43.6% | 378 | 1.2 miles |
| All Saints Academy Darfield | 57% | 6.9% | 47.1% | 207 | 1.5 miles |
| Ladywood Primary School | 52% | 5.2% | 40.4% | 213 | 1.7 miles |
| Highgate Primary Academy | 75% | 5.9% | 38.9% | 327 | 1.8 miles |
| Upperwood Academy | 66% | 4.5% | 33.5% | 298 | 1.9 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)
- 42.99%
- English as an additional language
- 3.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.97%
- Persistent absence
- 17.46%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Gooseacre Primary Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Rotherham
-
All Saints Academy Darfield1.5 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Ladywood Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Highgate Primary Academy1.8 miles
Primary · Rotherham
-
Upperwood Academy1.9 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Sandhill Primary School ranks 42nd 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 ages does Sandhill Primary School teach?
- Sandhill Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the executive headteacher/ceo of Sandhill Primary School?
- The executive headteacher/ceo of Sandhill Primary School is Mr James Haywood, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sandhill Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sandhill 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 Sandhill Primary School?
- Sandhill Primary School has 244 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Sandhill Primary School full?
- Sandhill Primary School has capacity for 270 pupils and 244 on roll (90%), 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 Sandhill Primary School a faith school?
- No. Sandhill Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Sandhill Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Sandhill Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Sandhill Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Sandhill Primary School is part of EVERY CHILD MATTERS ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Sandhill Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 69% in 2022/23 and 62% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sandhill Primary School compare with other schools in Barnsley?
- Sandhill Primary School ranked 53rd of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sandhill Primary School's absence rate?
- Sandhill Primary School's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sandhill Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sandhill 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 2 July 2026.