Lift Meadstead

About Lift Meadstead

Lift Meadstead, a state primary in Barnsley, was judged Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2025, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2022. The school’s strongest academic metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which sits at 78%. That figure places the school comfortably above the Barnsley local authority average of 63% and ranks it 12th out of 70 primary schools in the area, putting it in the top 25% nationally. Ofsted’s inspection report gave top marks across the board, with Good ratings for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school has a nursery provision and serves children from age 3 through to 11, with a mixed intake of 210 pupils, exactly matching its capacity.

Looking closer at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, Lift Meadstead’s reading average score was 105 and maths averaged 103, both above the national benchmark of 100. In reading, 87% of pupils met the expected standard and 26% reached the higher standard, while in maths 83% met the expected level and 9% achieved higher. Writing saw 83% at the expected standard and 4% at the higher level. The school’s overall ranking score of 78 reflects strong core outcomes, though the proportion reaching the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined was just 4%, indicating that while most children achieve a solid baseline, fewer are pushed into the top tier. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 94% of respondents would recommend the school, and 95% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. All 18 parents who responded felt their child does well at the school.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 42 applications for 23 places and all 23 first-preference offers taken up, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.83. Facilities include a sports hall, playing fields, a forest school area, music rooms and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, cross country, athletics and netball, while clubs range from film club to science and art club. Lift Meadstead has a strong SEND focus, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder, plus a resourced provision. With 42.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively disadvantaged community but still achieves above-average outcomes. It’s a good fit for families who want a well-regarded local primary with strong core results and a supportive SEND offer, particularly those who can secure a place in a popular school.

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