Lift St Helen's, Barnsley
Lift St Helen's 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 January 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 38th-highest of the 60 schools in Barnsley with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 62% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- 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 St Helen's in detail
Lift St Helen's 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 St Helen's reached the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 79% in Barnsley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 65% in reading and 71% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Lift St Helen's
For September 2026 entry, 16 families put Lift St Helen's as their first choice and 36 named it as one of their preferences, for 16 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 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 St Helen's are Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange (0.8 miles, Good, 76% reading, 80% maths); Carlton Primary Academy (0.9 miles, Good, 90% reading, 74% maths); Burton Road Primary School (1 mile, Good, 79% reading, 86% maths); and Athersley South Primary School (1.2 miles, 68% reading, 78% maths).
Lift St Helen's's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth GrangeCarlton Primary AcademyBurton Road Primary SchoolAthersley South Primary School
The trust
Lift St Helen's 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.
Who goes there
35% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 29 pupils (15.8%) received SEN support and 4 (2.2%) 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 railway station is Barnsley Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fish Dam Lane/Carr Street (adjacent), 260 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Lift St Helen's issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Lift St Helen's are Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School (0.6 miles) and Outwood Academy Carlton (1.2 miles).
Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England SchoolOutwood Academy Carlton
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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
35.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 65% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 71% to 76% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 62% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.9
Avg class size
23.7
Infant (KS1)
25.5
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Lift St Helen's
Before and after school care
Lift St Helen's is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Barnsley
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lift St Helen's from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lift St Helen's 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
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 St Helen's
Will you get a place at Lift St Helen's? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lift St Helen's's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lift St Helen's:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lift St Helen's.
- Barnsley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Lift St Helen's that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lift St Helen's 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
62%
Available places
195 pupils
315 places
120 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(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
18.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
183
Total Pupils
87
Boys
96
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
18.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,085
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,747
Per pupil
£1310k
Total funding
£114k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
16.6%
Persistent absence
175
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 St Helen's
Questions parents ask about Lift St Helen's
What are SATs results like at Lift St Helen's?
Of the pupils at Lift St Helen's who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 76% did so in maths.
What is Lift St Helen's's Ofsted rating?
Lift St Helen's was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2020 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Lift St Helen's?
No fixed boundary. When Lift St Helen's 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 St Helen's?
Lift St Helen's was not full in 2025: it ran at 62% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Lift St Helen's?
Classes at Lift St Helen's average 22.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Lift St Helen's?
Lift St Helen's has around 183 pupils on roll. 35% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lift St Helen's?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Lift St Helen's in 2024/25. 16.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lift St Helen's?
Apply through Barnsley's coordinated admissions process, naming Lift St Helen's 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 St Helen's have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Lift St Helen's is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Lift St Helen's?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 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 St Helen's?
Lift St Helen's is at St Helen's Way, Monk Bretton, Barnsley, S71 2PS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)