Cherry Dale Primary School, Barnsley

Outstanding
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~655m)Possible (~935m)Unlikely (~1.2km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Karen Brown
Pupils:326 / 322 capacity
LA:Barnsley
Phone:01226719700
Address:Royston Road, Cudworth, Barnsley, S72 8AA
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Outstanding

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 21 January 2025View full report
URN:106621
UKPRN:10078932
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Barnsley North
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Cherry Dale excels at teaching children to read with confidence and fluency. The school creates a culture where behaviour is exemplary, pupils are kind to each other, and they develop strong values around equality, respect and community contribution. Teachers are highly skilled and the school genuinely cares about every child's wellbeing and development.

Key Strengths

  • Reading is a major strength with highly effective phonics teaching and almost all pupils making excellent progress
  • Behaviour and personal development are outstanding with pupils showing maturity, respect, tolerance and strong community engagement
  • The curriculum is meticulously designed with excellent teacher expertise, though some recent mathematics changes need embedding
  • Pupils with SEND have their needs securely identified and very well met with precise support
  • Early years provides thoughtful, purposeful learning that prepares children well for key stage 1

Areas for Improvement

  • Some teachers are not yet confident implementing all aspects of the new mathematics curriculum, affecting how pupils build secure understanding of essential knowledge and skills

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong culture prioritising pupil safety and wellbeing.

Extracurricular Activities

Clubs and activities, local festivals engagement, breakfast club

Cherry Dale Primary School is a warm and welcoming place where pupils and staff take pride in their learning. The school offers an ambitious, engaging curriculum with excellent relationships and exemplary behaviour.

At a Glance

34.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

45 responses
Would recommend80%
Child is happy87%
Well taught89%
Good progress87%
Feels safe82%
Well behaved84%
Bullying dealt with11%
Kept informed87%
Handles concerns69%
Wider development78%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-3ppMaths+12ppWriting+5pp

Reading has remained stable at around 66%. Maths has improved from 64% to 76%. Writing has improved from 69% to 74%.

Class Sizes

24.3

Avg class size

25.0

Infant (KS1)

27.5

KS2

13

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Pontefract Road/Montague Street (adj)
104m · 2 min walk
Pontefract Road/Albert Street (adj)
185m · 3 min walk
Pontefract Road/Intake Lane (adj)
287m · 5 min walk
Pontefract Road/Sidcop Road (adj)
303m · 5 min walk
Pontefract Road/Sunningdale Drive (adj)
412m · 7 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

101%

Over capacity

326 pupils

322 capacity

4 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Barnsley

High pressure
New homes approved:3,063
Projected new pupils:766

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Barnsley

Admissions Demand - Barnsley

Low demand0.81x oversubscription

Places available

3,009

Applications

2,440

Got 1st preference

96.3%

Got preferred school

99.2%

Primary admissions across Barnsley (2025/26)

Inspection History(6)

21 January 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
Early YearsGood
12 November 2014
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
15 January 2013

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.83524%

Overall absence

11.55378%

Persistent absence

251

Enrolments

Authorised3.23624%
Unauthorised1.599%
Persistent (10%+)11.55378%
Severe (50%+)0.39841%

Absence trend

4.22494%
18/19
3.16649%
20/21
6.94419%
21/22
6.59215%
22/23
5.52947%
23/24
4.83524%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.