School Chooser

St Oswald's CofE Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyChurch of England226 pupilsNurseryDoncaster
School Chooser Score
82
Above
similar schools
Likely range 64 to 91
Out of 100. Better than 51% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, February 2025
Reached the expected level at 1177%England 63%
Attendance96.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families7%Far fewer than most schools
Places14 spare226 pupils, 240 places
Pupils per teacher19.7School workforce census

St Oswald's CofE Academy is a converter academy in Doncaster for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 226 pupils and room for 240. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 82 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 51% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Silver Birch Grove, Finningley, Doncaster, DN9 3EQ01302 770330stoswaldsacademy.co.ukMrs Sharon Patton headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 February 2025, 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”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1177%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score109.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 70%70%20172018: 72%72%20182019: 66%66%20192023: 72%72%20232024: 84%84%20242025: 77%77%2025
Since 2017: +7%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017DoncasterEngland
Pupils tested303132322930
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths77%84%72%66%72%70%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%19%3%3%17%3%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0108.0105.0104.0107.0105.0105.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score109.0107.0106.0105.0105.0105.0104.4104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0108.0107.0107.0108.0107.0104.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard80%94%78%75%76%90%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard93%97%84%78%83%87%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)83%87%78%94%100%73%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.3-2.3-0.2-1.6
Maths progressMaths progress score+2.0-1.5-1.2-1.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged75%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
72%83%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full200 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
95% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% 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 (26 offers for 30 places). 25 families put it down as their first choice and 25 of them got in (100%).

EntryPlacesPut it firstApplied at allGot a placeFirst choices who got inHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary30252626100%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 roll226Census January 2026
Places24094% full
Pupils from low-income families7%7% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English1%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support8%19 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.47 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)7%£21,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls105 / 121
White British pupils94%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (12), language and communications needs (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Specific learning difficulty (2), Physical disability (1), Vision impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll226226229230234227
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals7%6%4%4%6%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language1%2%1%1%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support8%12%14%10%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%1%0%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.9%4.4%4.2%5.6%2.0%3.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.5%2.9%3.2%4.8%1.7%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.5%1.0%0.9%0.3%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.8%5.0%5.0%14.3%2.2%2.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.40.00.00.00.0
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 teacher19.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,594
Teachers who left in the year20%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.82024/25

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£5,828England £7,128. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£6,116England £7,587. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,879England £3,405
Money in reserve15%A healthy amount put by: £197k, £916 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£62kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,828spent 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 m2912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate39 per 1,000 people57% lower than the England average
Typical house price£175,000Doncaster
Nearest bus stop80 mWroot Road/Elm Drive, 5 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
Hayfield Lane Primary SchoolCouncil1.6 miles439Good 202362Compare
Auckley Primary AcademyAcademy1.7 miles246Good 202377Compare
Branton St Wilfrid's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.8 miles192Not inspected61Compare
Misson Primary SchoolCouncil2.8 miles115Good 202344Compare
Rossington St Michael's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy3.2 miles371Report card 202633Compare
Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.3 miles30Good 20238Compare
Hatchell Wood Primary AcademyAcademy3.5 miles433Good 202211Compare
Tornedale Infant AcademyAcademy3.6 miles158Good 202319Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Oswald's CofE Academy with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats51%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 82 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 15 · middle 82 · highest 99100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 82 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 82% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 64 to 91. 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 years25%above
+0.18
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 30 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.07
DfE progress measure; 30 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.03
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.10
2024/25; 173 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 30 pupils
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 St Oswald's CofE Academy a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Oswald's CofE Academy scores 82 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 51% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 64 to 91, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Oswald's CofE Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St Oswald's CofE Academy not judged at its last full inspection on 25 February 2025.

How good are St Oswald's CofE Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 77% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St Oswald's CofE Academy have?

226 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 94% full.

Is St Oswald's CofE Academy oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at St Oswald's CofE Academy?

Pupils were in school 96.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Oswald's CofE Academy?

The average class had 27.4 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
Silver Birch Grove, Finningley, Doncaster, DN9 3EQ
Telephone
01302 770330
Website
www.stoswaldsacademy.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Sharon Patton
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Sheffield
Multi-academy trust
The Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust (20 schools)
Local authority
Doncaster
Ward
Finningley
Constituency
Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2012 (academy converter)
URN
138704 · LAESTAB 3713007 · UKPRN 10038497
Formerly
Finningley Church of England Primary School

Where these figures come from