Birdwell Primary School
Sheffield Road, Birdwell, Barnsley, S70 5XB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HCAT
- Headteacher
- Mr Richard Swallow
- Sponsor
- HCAT
- Constituency
- Barnsley South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 191
- URN
- 149455
- Local authority
- Barnsley
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01226742957
About this school
Birdwell Primary School is a primary academy in Barnsley. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 191 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Strong standard
- Achievement
- Strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 22 | 27 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 82% | 85% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 18% | 19% |
| Expected standard in reading | 91% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 91% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 91% | 100% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 107.0 |
Trends over time
How Birdwell 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 | — | 61.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 82% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 85% | 64.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 184 |
| 2024/25 | 188 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Birdwell Primary School compares
Birdwell Primary School ranked 7th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 94% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 85% | 3.8% | 22.9% | 191 | — |
| Tankersley St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School | 81% | 2.9% | 10.5% | 223 | 0.7 miles |
| Hoyland Common Primary School | 66% | 4.6% | 16.9% | 384 | 0.9 miles |
| West Meadows Primary School | 55% | 7.4% | 44% | 214 | 1.1 miles |
| St Helen's Catholic Primary School | 0% | 7.2% | 42% | 126 | 1.5 miles |
| Hoyland Springwood Primary School | 48% | 6.3% | 54.1% | 159 | 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report20 January 2026
- 13 December 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 22.87%
- English as an additional language
- 3.2%
- Overall absence
- 3.84%
- Persistent absence
- 8.64%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Tankersley St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Hoyland Common Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
West Meadows Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
St Helen's Catholic Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Barnsley
-
Hoyland Springwood Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Barnsley
Other schools in Barnsley
Birdwell Primary School ranks 5th 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
- 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
- Cherry Dale Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Birdwell Primary School teach?
- Birdwell Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnsley.
- Who is the headteacher of Birdwell Primary School?
- The headteacher of Birdwell Primary School is Mr Richard Swallow, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Birdwell Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Birdwell 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 big is Birdwell Primary School?
- Birdwell Primary School has 191 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Birdwell Primary School full?
- Birdwell Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 191 on roll (91%), 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 Birdwell Primary School a faith school?
- No. Birdwell Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Birdwell Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Birdwell Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Birdwell Primary School?
- Birdwell 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 Birdwell Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 82% in 2023/24 and 85% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Birdwell Primary School rank locally?
- Birdwell Primary School ranked 7th of 73 primary schools in Barnsley for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 94% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Birdwell Primary School's absence rate?
- Birdwell Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Birdwell Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Birdwell 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 10 July 2026.