Barrow Hill Primary Academy

About Barrow Hill Primary Academy

Barrow Hill Primary Academy is a small state primary in Chesterfield, and the numbers tell a clear story about how local families view it. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 7 first-preference applications for its 7 available places, meaning every family who put it first got in. Overall, 9 applications were made for those 7 spots, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.29. That’s modest competition, but it does suggest a steady local demand. There’s no parent-view survey data available from Ofsted to give a recommendation percentage, so the oversubscription figure is the best signal we have of how parents feel. With only 84 pupils on roll against a capacity of 118, the school is running well below its physical limit, which may reflect the broader challenge of filling places in a community where 67.5% of children are eligible for free school meals — a very high proportion that points to significant socioeconomic need.

Academically, Barrow Hill is currently rated Requires Improvement by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in October 2022. This was a consistent downgrade from its previous 2019 inspection, which had also rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement. Every category assessed in 2022 — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — scored a 3, meaning Requires Improvement across the board. The school’s most recent Key Stage 2 SATs data is not included in the available information, so it’s not possible to compare directly against the Derbyshire local authority average of 59% achieving the expected standard. However, the Ofsted report is the key academic benchmark here, and it paints a picture of a school that inspectors judged to need significant improvement in all areas. For parents prioritising strong academic outcomes, this is a major consideration.

On the practical side, Barrow Hill offers a nursery provision for children from age 3, and the school’s facilities include an outdoor playground, library, gymnasium and playing fields. Sports provision is broad for a small school, with football, swimming, athletics, tennis, cricket, cross country and rounders all on offer. Clubs include coding, art, science, gardening and eco club. The school has identified SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder — a meaningful range of support given the high FSM rate. With just 7 places available in the main intake and a modest oversubscription ratio, this is a school that suits families living close by who value small class sizes and a broad extracurricular offer, but who are also comfortable with a school that is still working through an improvement journey identified by Ofsted.

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