Silkstone Common Junior and Infant School, Barnsley
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Silkstone Common engages pupils through creative topic-based learning that helps them see how geography connects to the real world. The school provides excellent support for pupils with special needs, ensuring they access an equally ambitious curriculum. When the school carries out fieldwork activities, pupils develop genuine understanding of what it means to be a geographer.
Key Strengths
- Pupils enjoy engaging 'QI' topic lessons that connect geography to real-world questions
- Some classes participate in hands-on fieldwork activities like river studies where pupils develop genuine geographical understanding
- Pupils work well together in lessons and respond enthusiastically to teachers' questions
- Children in early years are beginning to develop geographical language and thinking
- Pupils with SEND are well supported with effective one-to-one help from teaching assistants
Areas for Improvement
- Geography lessons sometimes lose focus and become about other subjects instead, which means pupils don't develop important geographical knowledge
- The school hasn't clearly identified the key building blocks of geography, so important concepts aren't taught consistently
- Some parts of the national curriculum aren't covered in enough depth, such as using maps to learn about regions and cities
- Teachers need subject-specific training because some pupils have misconceptions about climate and global warming
- Current assessment methods don't help teachers understand what pupils have learned or where they need more help
Silkstone Common Junior and Infant School is an outstanding primary school with 150 pupils that uses creative 'QI' topic lessons to teach geography. However, the school needs to strengthen its geography curriculum by ensuring consistent geographical knowledge is taught and reducing how much lessons blur with other subjects.
At a Glance
6.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 90% to 95%. Maths has remained stable at around 95%. Writing has remained stable at around 84%.
Class Sizes
26.8
Avg class size
5
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
90%
Near capacity
135 pupils
150 capacity
15 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Barnsley
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Barnsley
Admissions Demand - Barnsley
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(105)
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.04604%
Overall absence
6.95652%
Persistent absence
115
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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