How we organise school places

We're responsible for making sure that we have enough school places in the borough to meet the educational needs of children who live in our area. 

These places must provide education suitable for pupils of all ages, abilities and aptitudes, including those who have special educational needs.

To help us meet our statutory duty, and to make sure we have all the necessary information upon which to to base our decisions, we regularly review the number of school places we already have and what we'll require in the future. This enables us to work with schools across the borough to ensure we can meet future demand, taking into consideration any housing developments.

This ongoing analysis informs us where we may need to increase or decrease the number of places, both in individual schools and in specific areas of the borough.

New primary school in the Royston area

A masterplan framework for the MU5 development site in Royston was consulted on last summer and is anticipated to be adopted later in the year. Consistent with the requirement in the Local Plan, it shows a new primary school to meet future school place need due to the 828 new homes arising from the development.

Due to the level of housing development on this site there's a need to provide a new primary school in order to make sure that we can fulfil our statutory duty to provide sufficient good quality school places if the planning application is approved.

There are already primary schools in the immediate and surrounding areas, but there are insufficient places available to admit further pupils generated from the development or sufficient capacity to expand to the required size.

We sought views on what you'd like to see in a new primary school. The consultation was not about whether you feel that the school should go ahead as this has already been determined as part of the Local Plan. The purpose was to seek your views about what should be the key features of a new school so that we can use this to identify a suitable multi-academy trust to run the school if the planning application is approved

Presumption competition for academy sponsors

We are inviting expressions of interest from academy proposers interested in sponsoring a new 210 place primary school from September 2023. This is dependent upon commencement of the development and will serve the Royston area of Barnsley. The closing date for expressions of interest is 9 July 2021 and all relevant documentation can be found below.

Any enquiries should be directed to schoolorg@barnsley.gov.uk

New primary school in Barugh Green and Higham area

We have invited expressions of interest from academy proposers interested in sponsoring a new 315 place (with the potential to expand to 420 in the future if required) primary school from September 2023. This is dependent upon commencement of the development and will serve the Barugh Green and Higham areas of Barnsley. The closing date for expressions of interest was 21 May 2021 and the process has now commenced to assess applications and recommend the Local Authority’s preferred sponsor to the Secretary of State.

The  Secretary of State will take the local authority’s assessment into account, along with any additional factors of which he is aware and reserves the right to agree a sponsor of his own choice (from the department’s list of approved sponsors).   As the intention is to ensure that the school is always established by the most suitable proposer possible, involving a representative of the Secretary of State in the local authority’s assessment processes ensures that all relevant and up-to-date evidence is taken into account and that the process of appointing a sponsor runs as smoothly as possible.

Frequently asked questions

Where will pupils come from for this school?

It's envisaged that pupils will come from the local area, although any parent will have the opportunity to submit a preference for the school. There are already other schools in the local area and so parents will have a greater number of options available to them.

Can you guarantee places in the new school?

Under the school admissions legislation, school places cannot be reserved or guaranteed within a particular school, although the school is being built to specifically meet the need arising from the development and children already in the local area. All parents would have the right to an independent appeal if a place could not be offered.  

How will it be decided which children can be offered a place?

If there are more applications than places available the oversubscription criteria would be applied, which is exactly the same as for current schools in the area:

  1. Children with a statement of special educational need or EHC
  2. Looked after and previously looked after children
  3. Children who will have a sibling in the school at the time of their admission
  4. Straight line distance from the home address to the school

This will mean that children who live closer to the school have a higher priority than those living further away, unless they fall into the top three categories.

How will children get to the school and is there any assistance with travel?

It's the parent’s responsibility to ensure their child’s attendance at school and make arrangements for them to get there. However, some families may be eligible for assistance; take a look at our school travel information.

Primary and secondary school places

Location of primary schools in the planning areas

School

Planning area

All Saints Academy

South East

Athersley North

North East

Athersley South

North East

Barugh Green

North

Birdwell

South West

Birkwood

North East

Brierley CE (VC)

North East

Burton Road

Central

Carlton

North East

Carrfield

South East

Cawthorne CE (VC)

South West

Cherry Dale

North East

Cudworth Churchfield

North East

Darton

North

Dearne Goldthorpe

South East

Dodworth St John the Baptist CE

North

Doncaster Road

Central

Elsecar Holy Trinity CE

South West

Gawber

North

Gooseacre Primary Academy

South East

Greenfield

South West

Heather Garth

South East

Highgate Primary Academy

South East

High View PLC

South East

Holy Rood Catholic (VA)

Central

Holy Trinity Catholic (VA) 3-16

North East

Hoyland Common

South West

Hoyland Springwood

South West

Hoylandswaine

South West

Hunningley

Central

Joseph Locke

Central

Jump

South West

Keresforth

North

Kexbrough

North

Kings Oak PLC

South East

Lacewood

South East

Ladywood

North East

Laithes Primary

North East

Mapplewell

North

Meadstead Primary Academy

North East

Milefield

North East

Millhouse

South West

Oakhill Academy

Central

Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange

  

Oxspring

South West

Parkside Primary Academy

North East

Penistone St John Baptist Primary CE(VA)

South West

Queens Road Academy

Central

Royston St John Baptist CE

North East

St Helen’s Primary Academy

North East

St Helen’s Catholic (VA)

South West

St Mary’s CE

North

St Michael and All Angels Catholic (VA)

South East

Sacred Heart Catholic (VA)

South East

Sandhill

North East

Shafton

North East

Shawlands

Central

Silkstone

South West

Silkstone Common

South West

Springvale

South West

Summerfields Primary Academy

North East

Summer Lane

North

Tankersley St Peter’s CE (VA)

South West

The Darfield Primary Academy

South East

The Ellis CE (VA)

South West

The Forest Academy

Central

The Hill

South East

The Mill

Central

Thurgoland CE (VC)

South West

Thurlstone

South West

Upperwood Primary Academy

South East

Ward Green

Central

Wellgate

North

West Meadows

South West

Wilthorpe

North

Wombwell Park Street

South East

Worsbrough Bank End

Central

Worsbrough Common

Central

Primary school places and their communities

Area

Planning Area

Central

Central, Kingstone, Stairfoot and Worsbrough

North

Darton East, Darton West, Dodworth and Old Town

North East

Cudworth, North East, Royston, Monk Bretton and St Helen’s

South East

Wombwell, Darfield, Dearne North and Dearne South

South West

Penistone East, Penistone West, Rockingham and Hoyland Milton

Spaces in secondary school places

The net capacity is a calculation of the number of children that a school can reasonably be expected to accommodate.

The capacity figures are calculated using the Department for Education ‘net capacity assessment method’. This method, or formula, takes into account the floor space of the teaching areas and how those teaching areas are used, for example: general teaching area, practical teaching area, laboratories, etc. The teaching area information is then used to calculate a figure for the school’s capacity to accommodate pupils.

The capacities of individual secondary schools

School

Capacity

Barnsley Academy

900

Darton Academy

1200

Holy Trinity 3-16 Academy

700

Horizon Community College

2000

Kirk Balk Academy

1350

Netherwood Academy

1600

Outwood Academy Carlton

1100

Outwood Academy Shafton

1350

Penistone Grammar

1600

The Dearne Academy

1200

Trinity Academy Barnsley (due to open September 2021)

900

Secondary school place planning areas

Central 

  • Horizon Community College
  • Barnsley Academy
  • Darton Academy
  • Trinity Academy Barnsley

Penistone

  • Penistone Grammar School

North East

  • Holy Trinity 3-16 Academy
  • Outwood Academy Carlton
  • Outwood Academy Shafton

South West

  • Kirk Balk Academy
  • Netherwood academy

Planning areas and schools in the borough

Central - Central and Kingstone

  1. Burton Road
  2. Doncaster Road
  3. Queens Road Academy  
  4. Holy Rood Catholic
  5. Shawlands
  6. Joseph Locke
  7. Worsbrough Common

Central - Stairfoot and Worsbrough         

  1. Hunningley 
  2. Oakhill Primary Academy
  3. The Forest Academy
  4. Worsbrough Bank End
  5. The  Mill Academy
  6. Ward Green

North East - Cudworth and North East

  1. Birkwood   
  2. Cudworth Churchfield   
  3. Cherry Dale  
  4. Brierley CE (VC)     
  5. Ladywood
  6. Milefield    
  7. Shafton Primary Academy 
  8. Sandhill     

North East - Royston, Monk Bretton and St Helen’s

  1. Athersley North  
  2. Athersley South    
  3. Holy Cross Deanery CE (VA)       
  4. Laithes Primary Academy  
  5. Holy Trinity  
  6. Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange  
  7. St Helen’s Primary Academy       
  8. Carlton Primary Academy 
  9. Parkside Primary Academy     
  10. Summerfields Primary Academy
  11. Royston St John Baptist CE
  12. Meadstead Primary Academy          

North - Darton East, Darton West, Dodworth and Old Town

  1. Kexborough
  2. Barugh Green
  3. Darton  
  4. Wellgate
  5. Mapplewell
  6. Wilthorpe (Infant Site)
  7. Wilthorpe (Junior Site)
  8. Summer Lane
  9. St Mary’s CE
  10. Dodworth St John CE Primary Acad
  11. Keresforth

South East - Wombwell and Darfield

  1. All Saints Academy
  2. Upperwood Academy
  3. The Darfield Primary Academy
  4. St Michael and All Angels Catholic
  5. High View PLC
  6. Kings Oak PLC
  7. Wombwell Park Street

South East - Dearne North and Dearne South

  1. Carrfield 
  2. Lacewood  
  3. Heather Garth
  4. Highgate
  5. Dearne Goldthorpe
  6. Sacred Heart Catholic
  7. Gooseacre
  8. The Hill

South West - Penistone West

  1. Millhouse                                          
  2. Thurlstone
  3. Penistone St John’s CE (VA)
  4. Springvale

South West - Penistone East

  1. Cawthorne CE (VC)                       
  2. Oxspring        
  3. Silkstone
  4. Silkstone Common
  5. Tankersley St Peter’s CE (VA)
  6. Thurgoland CE (VC)
  7. Hoylandswaine

South West - Rockingham and Hoyland Milton

  1. The Ellis CE (VA)    
  2. Elsecar Holy Trinity CE   
  3. Greenfield
  4. Jump   
  5. Hoyland Springwood
  6. St Helen’s Catholic  
  7. Hoyland Common 
  8. Birdwell
  9. West Meadows