Upperwood Academy

About Upperwood Academy

Upperwood Academy is a mixed state primary school in Barnsley, serving 293 pupils aged 4 to 11. It sits within a local authority that includes 77 primary schools, and its most recent ranking places it 22nd out of 70 in Barnsley, putting it in the top third of the LA. Among its closest peers in the area, the top-ranked schools are Hoylandswaine Primary School, Thurgoland Church of England Primary School, and Hunningley Primary Academy — the latter being the nearest Outstanding-rated school, located 3.7 km away. Upperwood itself holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent inspections. The school is led by headteacher Ange Brown and operates without a religious character. It is noticeably oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, 63 families applied for 39 places, and all 37 first-preference applicants were offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.62.

Academically, Upperwood Academy performs above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 73% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Barnsley LA average of 63%. The school’s average scores in reading and maths both sit at 105, and 10% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. In individual subjects, 82% met the expected standard in writing, 80% in reading, and 78% in maths. The proportion reaching the higher standard was strongest in reading at 33%, followed by maths at 29% and writing at 18%. Nationally, the school ranks 3,333 out of 13,686 primary schools on the combined expected standard metric, placing it in the top quarter. In Yorkshire and the Humber, it ranks 328th out of 1,506 schools. The school does not have a sixth form or nursery provision.

Parent feedback is largely positive, with 83% of respondents saying they would recommend the school. Strong majorities agreed that their child is happy (88% strongly agree or agree) and feels safe (93%). The school’s facilities include a library, music rooms, playing fields, a forest school, a dining hall and a chapel. Sports on offer include football, netball, tennis, rounders and dance, while clubs cover drama, gardening, coding and book club. SEND support is a notable area of concern: only 20% of parents strongly agreed that SEND children get the support they need, while 40% strongly disagreed. The school does list provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given its oversubscription and strong local ranking, Upperwood Academy suits families who prioritise above-average KS2 outcomes and a broad range of activities, but those with SEND children may want to investigate support arrangements further.

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