Royston St John Baptist CE Primary
Vicarage Lane, Royston, Barnsley, S71 4QY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ENHANCE ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Ms Rachel Steele
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Sponsor
- Enhance Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Barnsley North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 162
- URN
- 142556
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226722011
About this school
Royston St John Baptist CE Primary is a Church of England primary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 162 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Royston St John Baptist CE Primary, and its latest judgement is set out 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
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
- 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 | 29 | 28 | 20 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 62% | 57% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 0% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 64% | 70% |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 64% | 60% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 61% | 65% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.60 | - | - |
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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary 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 | 62% | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 190 |
| 2023/24 | 181 |
| 2024/25 | 172 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Royston St John Baptist CE Primary compares
Royston St John Baptist CE Primary ranked 62nd of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% 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 | 55% | 4.2% | 29.1% | 162 | — |
| Parkside Primary Academy | 72% | 4.5% | 27.9% | 225 | 0.1 miles |
| Lift Meadstead | 68% | 5.5% | 45.2% | 215 | 0.4 miles |
| Summerfields Primary Academy | 88% | 4% | 17.6% | 214 | 0.7 miles |
| Carlton Primary Academy | 64% | 5.2% | 23.2% | 317 | 0.9 miles |
| Athersley North Primary School | 49% | 8.3% | 58.2% | 290 | 1.6 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)
- 29.07%
- English as an additional language
- 3.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.16%
- Persistent absence
- 6.25%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Parkside Primary Academy0.1 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Lift Meadstead0.4 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Summerfields Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Carlton Primary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Athersley North Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Royston St John Baptist CE Primary ranks 50th 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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary teach?
- Royston St John Baptist CE Primary teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the headteacher of Royston St John Baptist CE Primary?
- The headteacher of Royston St John Baptist CE Primary is Ms Rachel Steele, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Royston St John Baptist CE Primary been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Royston St John Baptist CE Primary, 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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary?
- Royston St John Baptist CE Primary has 162 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Royston St John Baptist CE Primary full?
- Royston St John Baptist CE Primary has capacity for 240 pupils and 162 on roll (68%), 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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary a faith school?
- Yes. Royston St John Baptist CE Primary is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does Royston St John Baptist CE Primary have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Royston St John Baptist CE Primary as having no nursery classes.
- Is Royston St John Baptist CE Primary part of an academy trust?
- Royston St John Baptist CE Primary is part of ENHANCE ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Royston St John Baptist CE Primary's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 62% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Royston St John Baptist CE Primary compare with other schools in Barnsley?
- Royston St John Baptist CE Primary ranked 62nd of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% 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 Royston St John Baptist CE Primary's absence rate?
- Royston St John Baptist CE Primary's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Royston St John Baptist CE Primary's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Royston St John Baptist CE Primary'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.