Athersley South Primary School

General Information

Address: Wakefield Road, Smithies, Barnsley, S71 3TP
Phone: 01226284223
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Lynsey Whalley
Age range: 3-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 306
School capacity: 280
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 114
% eligible for free school meals: 39.7%
Nursery provision: Yes

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.5%
Persistently absent pupils: 19.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 24.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 39 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 16 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 10 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Specific learning difficulty: 4 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils
Profound and multiple learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Physical disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

Give this school your first review

Educational Attainment

No overall grade given 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted stopped giving single overall grades for a period between September 2024 and November 2025 - this school's most recent inspection falls in that window, so there's no single rating to show, even though it was inspected. The full report (linked below) still has the detail.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £7,125 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #24 of 74 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#22Outwood Primary Academy Darfield£7,280
#23Holy Rood Catholic Primary School£7,192
#24Athersley South Primary School£7,125
#25Hoyland Common Primary School£7,059
#26Kexborough Primary School£7,019

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Hoyland Springwood Primary School£10,966
#2Churchfield Primary School£10,829
#3Dodworth St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy£9,284
#4Laithes Primary School£8,782
#5Lacewood Primary School£8,768
#6St Helen's Catholic Primary School£8,129
#7Hoylandswaine Primary School£8,092
#8Holy Trinity Catholic and Church of England School£8,087
#9Millhouse Primary School£8,004
#10Cherry Dale Primary School£7,924
#11Lift Meadstead£7,921
#12Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School£7,860
#13St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary School£7,748
#14Joseph Locke Primary School£7,589
#15Athersley North Primary School£7,576
#16Sandhill Primary School£7,558
#17High View Primary Learning Centre£7,556
#18The Hill Primary Academy£7,542
#19Heather Garth Primary School Academy£7,522
#20The Mill Academy£7,402
#21Worsbrough Common Primary School£7,337
#22Outwood Primary Academy Darfield£7,280
#23Holy Rood Catholic Primary School£7,192
#24Athersley South Primary School£7,125
#25Hoyland Common Primary School£7,059
#26Kexborough Primary School£7,019
#27Springvale Primary School£7,002
#28All Saints Academy Darfield£6,976
#29Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange£6,899
#30Queens Road Academy£6,888
#31Ladywood Primary School£6,825
#32Wombwell Park Street Primary School£6,793
#33Parkside Primary Academy£6,700
#34Oxspring Primary School£6,670
#35Bank End Primary Academy£6,662
#36Royston St John Baptist CE Primary£6,541
#37West Meadows Primary School£6,537
#38Brierley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£6,533
#39Penistone St John's Voluntary Aided Primary School£6,527
#40Birkwood Primary School£6,496
#41Silkstone Common Junior and Infant School£6,495
#42Elsecar Holy Trinity CofE Primary Academy£6,446
#43Thurlstone Primary School£6,441
#44Upperwood Academy£6,427
#45Lift St Helen's£6,426
#46Milefield Primary School£6,422
#47Goldthorpe Primary Academy£6,411
#48Birdwell Primary School£6,383
#49Wellgate Primary School£6,364
#50Ward Green Primary School£6,271
#51Tankersley St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School£6,268
#52Burton Road Primary School£6,209
#53The Forest Academy£6,180
#54Gooseacre Primary Academy£6,180
#55Shawlands Primary School£6,179
#56Keresforth Primary School£6,163
#57Gawber Primary School£6,161
#58Hunningley Primary Academy£6,147
#59Carrfield Primary Academy£6,112
#60Wilthorpe Primary School£6,063
#61Oakwell Rise Primary Academy£6,021
#62St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Barnsley£5,986
#63Darton Primary School£5,968
#64Highgate Primary Academy£5,949
#65Mapplewell Primary School£5,945
#66Summerfields Primary Academy£5,938
#67Thurgoland Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School£5,906
#68Carlton Primary Academy£5,870
#69Silkstone Primary School£5,855
#70Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£5,822
#71Lift Shafton£5,621
#72Oakhill Primary Academy£5,485
#73Barugh Green Primary School£5,406
#74Greenfield Primary School£1,154

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)