Birley Primary Academy, Sheffield
Birley Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Sheffield, part of L.e.a.d. Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 68th-highest of the 144 schools in Sheffield with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 80% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Sheffield (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Birley Primary Academy in detail
Birley Primary Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Enjoy a guided tour, learn about our curriculum and talk to teachers and staff. At Birley Primary Academy, we aim to create a safe and positive learning environment that exhibits a sense of community and belonging, based upon respect for ourselves and others and through being mindful of beliefs, cultures and views."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, athletics, gymnastics, basketball, multi-sports, dance, choir, guitar and chess.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £8.50 per session.
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 17 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Sheffield
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Birley Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 72% in Sheffield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 64% in reading and 64% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Birley Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 52 families put Birley Primary Academy as their first choice and 85 named it as one of their preferences, for 56 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Birley Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Birley Primary Academy are Charnock Hall Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 76% maths); Birley Spa Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 65% reading, 78% maths); Ridgeway Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 92% reading, 88% maths); and Ridgeway Primary School (0.8 miles).
Birley Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Charnock Hall Primary AcademyBirley Spa Primary AcademyRidgeway Primary SchoolRidgeway Primary School
The trust
Birley Primary Academy is one of 27 schools run by L.e.a.d. Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
36 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Birley Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 97% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 83% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (81%).
Who goes there
6.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%), Mixed (7%) and Black (6%).
In 2026, 66 pupils (12.6%) received SEN support and 14 (2.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Birley Lane Platform to Halfway, about 330 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Thornbridge Road/Birley Moor Avenue (opposite), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 175 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Sheffield (267).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Birley Primary Academy issued 29 suspensions, 5.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Birley Primary Academy are The Birley Academy (0.1 miles) and Outwood Academy City (1.2 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Birley Primary Academy creates a warm, inclusive environment where children genuinely love learning. The school excels at supporting all pupils, including those with SEND, helping every child access a rich curriculum. From early years through to Year 6, pupils develop into confident, well-behaved learners with a real passion for reading and a strong sense of community responsibility.
Key Strengths
- Reading is at the heart of school life, with pupils developing a genuine love of books and stories
- Exceptional behaviour management - pupils are polite, well-behaved and treat each other with respect
- Strong support for pupils with SEND, ensuring they can access the full curriculum
- Rich personal development programme helping pupils understand different faiths, careers and social issues
- Early years children benefit from a blend of structured teaching and free play
Areas for Improvement
- Some foundation subject assessments are too generic and fail to identify specific gaps in pupils' knowledge
- Staff need to ensure they accurately track what pupils have learned across all subjects, not just core areas
- 2024 test results were disappointing and not typical of the school's usual standards
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a strong culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
School sports representation, crafts, board games, residential visits, care home visits, litter picking, Aspire Day (career exploration with visiting professionals from 20+ industries)
Birley Primary Academy has maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. The school creates a happy learning environment where pupils and staff work together with high ambitions for all children.
At a Glance
28.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
36 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 64% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 64% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 52% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.8
Avg class size
23.8
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Birley Primary Academy
Term dates
Birley Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Sheffield's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Birley Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Birley Primary Academy is in Sheffield; for families living there:
- Sheffield's school travel policy: Home to School Travel and Transport Policy September 2023
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Birley Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Birley Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Birley Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Birley Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Birley Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Sheffield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Birley Primary Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Sheffield got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
80%
Available places
501 pupils
630 places
129 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sheffield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sheffield
Across Sheffield council
Places available
6,785
Applications
5,415
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Sheffield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
66
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
15.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
525
Total Pupils
273
Boys
252
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
19.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,070
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,052
Per pupil
£2925k
Total funding
£223k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
14.6%
Persistent absence
459
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Birley Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Birley Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Birley Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Birley Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Birley Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Birley Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Birley Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Birley Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Sheffield allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Birley Primary Academy?
Birley Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 80% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Birley Primary Academy?
Classes at Birley Primary Academy average 22.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Birley Primary Academy?
Birley Primary Academy has around 525 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Birley Primary Academy?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Birley Primary Academy in 2024/25. 14.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Birley Primary Academy?
Apply through Sheffield's coordinated admissions process, naming Birley Primary Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Birley Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 5 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Sheffield is 17 (the median across 193 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Birley Primary Academy?
Birley Primary Academy is at Thornbridge Avenue, Birley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S12 3AB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)