What is the average primary school class size in Barnsley?

The average primary school class size in Barnsley is 26.4 pupils per class in the 2025/26 academic year. The England average is 26.2 — so Barnsley primary classes are larger than average. This covers 17,878 pupils in 677 classes across state-funded primary schools. Source: DfE 2025/26, OGL v3.0.

What is the average secondary school class size in Barnsley?

Secondary school classes in Barnsley average 24.2 pupils per class (England average: 22.6) in 2025/26. Classes are larger than the England average. This covers 13,359 pupils in 553 classes. Source: DfE 2025/26, OGL v3.0.

What is the Gera School Resource Index for Barnsley?

The Gera School Resource Index for Barnsley is 96.4 — ranked #138 of 151 local authorities published. The index is centred at 100 (England mean). A score above 100 means smaller classes (more resource per pupil); below 100 means larger classes than the England average. The GSRI is computed from the real DfE 2025/26 class-size figures — see the methodology page for the exact formula.

Why do class sizes vary so much between local authorities?

Class sizes depend on local demographic trends (birth rate fluctuations), number of available schools and teachers, local authority budget decisions, and whether schools operate under- or over-capacity. Rural areas like Westmorland and Furness (GSRI vs 114.0) often have smaller schools with naturally smaller classes. Urban authorities with rapid population growth tend towards larger classes. Class sizes in England are regulated by the infant class size legislation (30-pupil limit for Key Stage 1) but secondary classes have no statutory cap. Real DfE data, OGL v3.0.

How is the Gera School Resource Index calculated?

The Gera School Resource Index uses two real DfE figures: average primary class size and average secondary class size, both for 2025/26. For each LA: pScore = round((England_primary_avg ÷ LA_primary) × 100, 1); sScore = round((England_secondary_avg ÷ LA_secondary) × 100, 1); GSRI = round((pScore + sScore) ÷ 2, 1). England averages are 26.2 (primary) and 22.6 (secondary), both pupil-weighted across all published LAs. Full methodology at https://geralearn.com/school-resource-index/methodology.

GeraLearn / School Resource Index / Barnsley

Barnsley School Class Sizes 2025/26

State-funded primary schools in Barnsley average 26.4 pupils per class — larger than the England average of 26.2. Secondary: 24.2 pupils/class. Real DfE 2025/26 data (OGL v3.0).

How large are school classes in Barnsley, and how does this compare to the England average?

In the 2025/26 academic year, state-funded primary schools in Barnsley have an average class size of 26.4 pupils — 0.3 pupils above the England average of 26.2. Secondary schools average 24.2 (England: 22.6). Gera School Resource Index for Barnsley: 96.4 / 100 (England mean 100). Source: DfE 2025/26 (OGL v3.0).

Source:DfE — Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26·As of Academic year 2025/26 · updated annual · last refreshed 20 June 2026

Gera School Resource Index

Barnsley ranks #138 of 151 local authorities (England mean = 100). A score above 100 means smaller-than-average classes (more teacher time per pupil); below 100 means larger-than-average classes. Computed from real DfE 2025/26 class-size figures — see methodology.

How this is calculated

96.4

Barnsley vs England — class sizes 2025/26

Measure	Barnsley	England	Difference
Average primary class size	26.4	26.2	0.3 above
Average secondary class size	24.2	22.6	1.5 above
Primary pupils (total)	17,878	—	—
Secondary pupils (total)	13,359	—	—
Gera School Resource Index	96.4	100 (mean)	Rank #138/151

Data: DfE state-funded schools, 2025/26 academic year. Primary: 677 classes. Secondary: 553 classes. Licensed OGL v3.0.

Check school class sizes for your area

Pick a local authority. We show the real DfE 2025/26 average primary and secondary class sizes, how they compare to England, and the Gera School Resource Index — computed from published data.

Local authority

Primary schools

Avg class size: 26.4 (England 26.2)

0.3 above England average.

17,878 pupils · 677 classes

Secondary schools

Avg class size: 24.2 (England 22.6)

1.5 above England average.

13,359 pupils · 553 classes

Gera School Resource Index

96.4

England mean 100 · ranked #138 of 151 LAs

Larger than average classes → less resource per pupil

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Barnsley school class sizes — FAQ

What is the average primary school class size in Barnsley?: The average primary school class size in Barnsley is 26.4 pupils per class in the 2025/26 academic year. The England average is 26.2 — so Barnsley primary classes are larger than average. This covers 17,878 pupils in 677 classes across state-funded primary schools. Source: DfE 2025/26, OGL v3.0.
What is the average secondary school class size in Barnsley?: Secondary school classes in Barnsley average 24.2 pupils per class (England average: 22.6) in 2025/26. Classes are larger than the England average. This covers 13,359 pupils in 553 classes. Source: DfE 2025/26, OGL v3.0.
What is the Gera School Resource Index for Barnsley?: The Gera School Resource Index for Barnsley is 96.4 — ranked #138 of 151 local authorities published. The index is centred at 100 (England mean). A score above 100 means smaller classes (more resource per pupil); below 100 means larger classes than the England average. The GSRI is computed from the real DfE 2025/26 class-size figures — see the methodology page for the exact formula.
Why do class sizes vary so much between local authorities?: Class sizes depend on local demographic trends (birth rate fluctuations), number of available schools and teachers, local authority budget decisions, and whether schools operate under- or over-capacity. Rural areas like Westmorland and Furness (GSRI vs 114.0) often have smaller schools with naturally smaller classes. Urban authorities with rapid population growth tend towards larger classes. Class sizes in England are regulated by the infant class size legislation (30-pupil limit for Key Stage 1) but secondary classes have no statutory cap. Real DfE data, OGL v3.0.
How is the Gera School Resource Index calculated?: The Gera School Resource Index uses two real DfE figures: average primary class size and average secondary class size, both for 2025/26. For each LA: pScore = round((England_primary_avg ÷ LA_primary) × 100, 1); sScore = round((England_secondary_avg ÷ LA_secondary) × 100, 1); GSRI = round((pScore + sScore) ÷ 2, 1). England averages are 26.2 (primary) and 22.6 (secondary), both pupil-weighted across all published LAs. Full methodology at https://geralearn.com/school-resource-index/methodology.

How the Gera School Resource Index is calculated for Barnsley

The GSRI compares each local authority's average class sizes to the England pupil-weighted average, then averages the two ratios.

pScore = round((26.16 ÷ 26.41) × 100, 1) = 99.1

sScore = round((22.64 ÷ 24.16) × 100, 1) = 93.7

GSRI = round((99.1 + 93.7) ÷ 2, 1) = 96.4

A GSRI of 96.4 means Barnsley has larger-than-average classes than the England mean. Full methodology →

School class sizes in other Yorkshire and the Humber local authorities

See all 151 local authorities ranked by the Gera School Resource Index →

Source: DfE — Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26. Figures are for state-funded schools, 2025/26 academic year. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The Gera School Resource Index for Barnsley is computed by GeraLearn from these figures; no number is modelled, interpolated or estimated.