Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Rotherham
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Rotherham. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 53rd-highest of the 67 schools in Rotherham with published results, and 12,428th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 55% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 79% in Barnsley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 74% in reading and 57% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 20 families put Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 34 named it as one of their preferences, for 18 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School are Goldthorpe Primary Academy (0.2 miles, Good, 76% reading, 76% maths); Highgate Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 82% reading, 80% maths); The Hill Primary Academy (0.9 miles, Good, 66% reading, 72% maths); and Carrfield Primary Academy (0.9 miles, Good, 77% reading, 83% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School.
Goldthorpe Primary AcademyHighgate Primary AcademyThe Hill Primary AcademyCarrfield Primary Academy
What parents say
20 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 70% would recommend the school, 85% say their child is happy there and 40% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (85%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (40%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 24 pupils (15%) received SEN support and 10 (6.3%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Goldthorpe Rail Station, about 610 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Doncaster Road/Market Street (opposite), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School issued 23 suspensions, 14.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Sacred Heart provides a welcoming, calm environment where pupils feel safe and cared for by staff. The school has worked hard to improve attendance and recognises the importance of pupils being in school regularly. Leaders and governors are committed to improvement and have good support from the local authority.
Key Strengths
- School has improved attendance significantly with more rigorous systems in place
- Pupils enjoy coming to school and staff have positive relationships with them
- The school has clear systems to identify pupils with additional needs and provides detailed support plans
- Early years in Nursery gives pupils a strong start in developing independence
- School takes safeguarding seriously with safety embedded in the curriculum
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not consistently manage behaviour in classrooms, with some disruptive behaviour going unchecked
- Teachers do not carefully check how well pupils are learning during lessons, so some pupils get work that is too easy or too hard
- The school does not make thorough checks on how well the curriculum is being taught
- Pupils with SEND do not always receive the support outlined in their plans
- Handwriting and work quality is sometimes poor, and there are very few extra-curricular activities available
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear systems in place and a strong culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Play leaders organise activities for younger pupils at playtime
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is a Catholic primary school for ages 3-11 in Rotherham. The inspection found that aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the previous inspection in 2020.
At a Glance
28.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
20 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 74% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 55% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 70% to 55% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.6
Avg class size
5
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School 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
- 22
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 6 serious and 14 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School.
- Barnsley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School 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
101%
Over capacity
141 pupils
140 places
1 pupil over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Rotherham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Rotherham
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(13)
Ungraded inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
21.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
160
Total Pupils
80
Boys
80
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,171
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,361
Per pupil
£979k
Total funding
£61k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
13.7%
Persistent absence
131
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
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 55% did so in maths.
What is Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Barnsley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Classes at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School average 27.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School has around 160 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 13.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Barnsley's coordinated admissions process, naming Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 22 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 6 serious and 14 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School?
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is at Lockwood Road, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S63 9JY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)