Lift Shafton, Barnsley
Lift Shafton is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Barnsley, part of Lift Schools. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 52nd-highest of the 60 schools in Barnsley with published results, and 10,716th of 14,452 across England. It was 88% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- 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 Barnsley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lift Shafton in detail
Lift Shafton in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Lift Shafton reached the expected standard in reading and 66% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 79% in Barnsley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 79% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Lift Shafton
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Lift Shafton as their first choice and 49 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lift Shafton are Cherry Dale Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 66% reading, 76% maths); Churchfield Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 83% reading, 83% maths); Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 89% reading, 89% maths); and Milefield Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 74% reading, 69% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Lift Shafton.
Cherry Dale Primary SchoolChurchfield Primary SchoolBrierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolMilefield Primary School
The trust
Lift Shafton is one of 62 schools run by Lift Schools, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
41 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lift Shafton (as of September 2025): 81% would recommend the school, 90% say their child is happy there and 62% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (62%).
Who goes there
5.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Fitzwilliam Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High Street/Bleak Avenue (opposite), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 58 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Barnsley (121).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Lift Shafton issued 1 suspension, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lift Shafton are Outwood Academy Shafton (0.3 miles) and Outwood Academy Carlton (1.8 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 November 2015, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Shafton Primary Academy creates a warm, inclusive environment where all pupils are encouraged to achieve their best. The school excels at teaching children to read confidently and provides expert support for pupils with additional needs. Teachers know each child well and work closely with families to ensure every pupil thrives both academically and personally.
Key Strengths
- High-quality, broad curriculum with clear knowledge progression and effective review lessons
- Strong focus on reading for pleasure with consistent phonics teaching and rapid support for struggling readers
- Highly effective support for pupils with SEND, enabling them to learn alongside peers
- Excellent pastoral care and support for pupils and families
- Well-designed personal, social and health education addressing real-life challenges pupils will face
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Great Shafton Bake Off, careers days, annual pantomime trip, visits and clubs, Attendance Shop, Citizen Leaders programme
Shafton Primary Academy is a friendly and inclusive primary school where pupils enjoy coming to learn and demonstrate kindness and respect. Evidence suggests the school's work has improved significantly since its previous good rating in 2015.
At a Glance
25.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 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 declined from 79% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 82% to 66% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 82% to 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.5
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
25.0
KS2
10
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Lift Shafton
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Lift Shafton.
- Playworks Shafton380m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lift Shafton from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift Shafton is in Barnsley; for families living there:
Apply to Barnsley for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 7 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Barnsley is 11 (the median across 96 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 Lift Shafton
Will you get a place at Lift Shafton? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift Shafton's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift Shafton:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift Shafton.
- Barnsley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Lift Shafton that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift Shafton for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Barnsley 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
88%
Available places
247 pupils
280 places
33 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Barnsley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Barnsley
Across Barnsley council
Places available
2,979
Applications
2,423
Got 1st preference
95.7%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Barnsley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
31
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
16.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
247
Total Pupils
113
Boys
134
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
19.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,979
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,174
Per pupil
£1404k
Total funding
£73k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
11.3%
Persistent absence
213
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
Lift Shafton
Questions parents ask about Lift Shafton
What are SATs results like at Lift Shafton?
Of the pupils at Lift Shafton who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 66% did so in maths.
What is Lift Shafton's Ofsted rating?
Lift Shafton's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lift Shafton?
No fixed boundary. When Lift Shafton is oversubscribed, Barnsley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Lift Shafton?
Lift Shafton was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 280 places.
How big are the classes at Lift Shafton?
Classes at Lift Shafton average 24.5 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Lift Shafton?
Lift Shafton has around 247 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift Shafton?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Lift Shafton in 2024/25. 11.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift Shafton?
Apply through Barnsley's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift Shafton 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.
Does Lift Shafton have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Lift Shafton: Playworks Shafton (380m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Lift Shafton?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 7 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Barnsley is 11 (the median across 96 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lift Shafton?
Lift Shafton is at High Street, Shafton, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S72 8QA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)