School Chooser

Rowena Academy

Primary · ages 3-7MixedAcademy246 pupilsNurseryDoncaster
School Chooser Score
36
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 16 to 65
Out of 100. Better than 50% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#10,223 of 16,041 in England#60 in DoncasterHow it is worked out
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, November 2024
Attendance93.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families37%Far more than most schools
Places33 spare246 pupils, 279 places
Pupils per teacher19.3School workforce census
Pupils on roll246Census January 2026

Rowena Academy is a converter academy in Doncaster for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 246 pupils and room for 279. About 37 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 36 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 50% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Gardens Lane, Conisbrough, Doncaster, DN12 3JY01709 863109rowenaacademy.org.ukMiss Claire Cowlishaw principalAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 26 November 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places195 pupils for 264 places, 2024/25
74% full

69 places were empty (26% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 18% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2025 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2025. Every child who applied got a place (59 offers for 80 places). 58 families put it down as their first choice and 58 of them got in (100%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary80585959100%– all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll246Census January 2026
Places27988% full
Pupils from low-income families33%37% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support9%23 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.77 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)39%£122,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls117 / 129
White British pupils96%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (13), Specific learning difficulty (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), emotional and mental health (3), Physical disability (1), Vision impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll246256284295302302
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals33%32%32%36%33%29%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%1%1%1%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–10%10%8%7%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–2%1%1%2%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school17.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.1%5.6%7.1%6.6%2.6%3.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.0%4.1%5.8%5.5%2.2%3.0%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.1%1.5%1.3%1.1%0.3%0.7%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence17.9%15.8%19.3%16.6%4.4%4.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers11.0full-time equivalent, 12 people
Pupils per teacher19.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,006
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,956England £7,128. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£7,342England £7,587. Total £1.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,524England £3,405
Money in reserve21%A lot put by: £348k, £1,548 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£87kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,956spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m31312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate102 per 1,000 people12% higher than the England average
Typical house price£175,000Doncaster
Nearest bus stop80 mGardens Lane/Thirlwall Avenue, 12 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Morley Place AcademyAcademy270 m289Report card 202652Compare
St Alban's Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy640 m226No overall grade 202534Compare
Castle AcademyAcademy700 m143Good 202450Compare
Conisbrough Ivanhoe Primary AcademyAcademy940 m363No overall grade 20254Compare
Denaby Main Primary AcademyAcademy0.6 miles164Good 202352Compare
New Pastures Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles270Good 202417Compare
Windhill Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles302Good 202234Compare
Hill Top AcademyAcademy1.9 miles380Outstanding 202493Compare
Primary schools in DoncasterBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Rowena Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats50%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 36 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 38 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Rowena Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Lacewood Primary SchoolCouncil4.2 miles242Good 202351Compare
Heather Garth Primary School AcademyAcademy4.5 miles221Good 202242Compare
Thurcroft Infant SchoolAcademy6.3 miles232No overall grade 202578Compare
Grange Lane Infant AcademyAcademy6.5 miles251Outstanding 202395Compare
Milefield Primary SchoolAcademy8.9 miles294Good 202465Compare
Athersley South Primary SchoolAcademy11.6 miles306Not inspected74Compare
Outwood Primary Academy Newstead GreenAcademy11.9 miles221Good 202251Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 36 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 36% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 16 to 65. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.29
Ofsted grade, 1.8 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.31
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.15
2024/25; 145 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
What parents say0%no data
–

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Rowena Academy a good school?

It is about average. Rowena Academy scores 36 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 50% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 16 to 65, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Rowena Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Rowena Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 26 November 2024.

How many pupils does Rowena Academy have?

246 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 279 places, so it is 88% full.

Is Rowena Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 69 places were empty in 2024/25 (26% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Rowena Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 18% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Rowena Academy?

The average class had 29.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Gardens Lane, Conisbrough, Doncaster, DN12 3JY
Telephone
01709 863109
Website
www.rowenaacademy.org.uk
Principal
Miss Claire Cowlishaw
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Delta Academies Trust (64 schools)
Local authority
Doncaster
Ward
Conisbrough
Constituency
Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2011 (academy converter)
URN
137629 · LAESTAB 3712108 · UKPRN 10035753
Formerly
Rowena Nursery and Infant School
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from