Shawlands Primary School, Barnsley
Shawlands Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Barnsley. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 34th-highest of the 60 schools in Barnsley with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 106% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- 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
Shawlands Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Shawlands Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 79% in Barnsley and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (74% in reading, 74% in maths).
Getting a place at Shawlands Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put Shawlands Primary School as their first choice and 72 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 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 Shawlands Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Shawlands Primary School are Joseph Locke Primary School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 80% maths); Holy Rood Catholic Primary School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 67% reading, 77% maths); St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley (0.4 miles, Good, 69% reading, 69% maths); and Summer Lane Primary (0.6 miles).
Shawlands Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Joseph Locke Primary SchoolHoly Rood Catholic Primary SchoolSt Mary's Church of England Primary School, BarnsleySummer Lane Primary
Who goes there
In 2026, 33 pupils (10.6%) received SEN support and 15 (4.8%) 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 1160 metres away (roughly a 15-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Shaw Lane/Lancaster Street (at), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 588 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Barnsley (121), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Shawlands Primary School issued 9 suspensions, 2.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Shawlands Primary School are Trinity Academy St. Edwards (0.3 miles), Horizon Community College (0.5 miles) and Barnsley Academy (1.9 miles).
Trinity Academy St. EdwardsHorizon Community CollegeBarnsley Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 January 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The values at Shawlands Primary School are underpinned by one rule, 'to make the right choice'. The school reminds pupils daily to make the right choices when they are learning and at social times. Pupils think about the consequences of their actions. This helps them to behave well and to treat others with respect. Older pupils take on leadership roles, including at breaktime and lunchtime. They help younger pupils to play well together. This positive culture supports everyone to feel happy at school.
The school has high expectations for all pupils. Lots of work has been done to improve the curriculum. Pupils' results in English and mathematics are improving year-on-year as pupils rise to the challenge set by the school.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics at Shawlands Primary School. In 2023, pupils in Year 4 and Year 6 achieved results in mathematics that were among the best in the country. The school is creative in how it adapts the mathematics curriculum to meet the needs of every pupil. The staff have expert subject knowledge in mathematics. They check pupils' understanding of mathematical vocabulary and calculation strategies in lessons effectively. Their enthusiasm for mathematics is infectious.
Pupils achieve well in languages. Many Year 6 pupils complete sustained writing in French. They use full sentences and correct grammar. Pupils complete speaking, listening, reading and writing exercises and staff assess pupils' progress in each aspect. When the school audited staff training needs, they learned that extra time is needed for planning and assessment in languages. This is because staff lack confidence in their own subject knowledge. For example, they need to research grammatical rules in the language prior to teaching the lesson. This increases teachers' workload.
From Ofsted's July 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2015 inspection - up from Inadequate.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
20.6%
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 remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.4
Avg class size
22.8
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Shawlands Primary School
Before and after school care
Shawlands Primary School 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 Shawlands Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Shawlands 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
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 13 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 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 Shawlands Primary School
Will you get a place at Shawlands Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Shawlands Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Shawlands Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Shawlands Primary School.
- Barnsley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Shawlands Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Shawlands 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
106%
Over capacity
298 pupils
280 places
18 pupils over capacity 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(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
15.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
311
Total Pupils
159
Boys
152
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,093
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,385
Per pupil
£1732k
Total funding
£85k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
11.5%
Persistent absence
261
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
Shawlands Primary School
Questions parents ask about Shawlands Primary School
What are SATs results like at Shawlands Primary School?
Of the pupils at Shawlands Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Shawlands Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Shawlands Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Shawlands Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Shawlands 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 Shawlands Primary School?
Shawlands Primary School was full in 2025, at 106% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Shawlands Primary School?
Classes at Shawlands Primary School average 25.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Shawlands Primary School?
Shawlands Primary School has around 311 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Shawlands Primary School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at Shawlands Primary School in 2024/25. 11.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Shawlands Primary School?
Apply through Barnsley's coordinated admissions process, naming Shawlands 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.
Does Shawlands Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Shawlands Primary School 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 Shawlands Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 13 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Barnsley is 11 (the median across 96 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Shawlands Primary School?
Shawlands Primary School is at Shaw Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 6JL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)