St Oswald's CofE Academy

The school has a strong Church of England ethos and a warm, nurturing culture. Pupils enjoy school, attend well and feel safe, and they are respectful, caring and courteous. They benefit from an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum, effective phonics teaching from Reception, well-planned early years provision, strong SEND support and a wide range of extracurricular and leadership opportunities. Behaviour and personal development are notable strengths, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main area for improvement is consistency in how the ambitious curriculum is delivered. In some lessons, activities and tasks do not match the intended learning goals closely enough, so some pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge and understanding they are capable of. Leaders should ensure all staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum effectively. The school is part of the Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust and this was its first routine inspection since the pandemic; it had not been inspected under section 5 since 2014 and no longer receives an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Strong Church of England ethos and values that promote kindness and consideration
• Warm, nurturing relationships and a safe, caring environment
• Pupils attend well, feel safe and behave respectfully
• Ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum
• Effective phonics teaching from Reception, with reading books matched to pupils’ sounds
• Quick identification and support for pupils who need extra help in reading
• Well-planned early years provision with skilled staff interactions and carefully chosen resources
• Effective systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND
• Wide range of extracurricular activities and pupil leadership opportunities
• Strong personal development, including learning about cultures, religions and health
• Close trust and trustee links that provide challenge, support and attention to staff wellbeing

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent implementation of the ambitious curriculum across lessons
• Teaching activities and tasks sometimes do not match intended learning goals
• Some pupils do not secure the depth of knowledge and understanding they are capable of
• Staff need consistent knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum effectively

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Oswald's CofE Academy attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.4% of pupils at St Oswald's CofE Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Oswald's CofE Academy had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 8.4% of pupils at St Oswald's CofE Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 St Oswald's CofE Academy received £6,100 and spent £6,020 for each of its 215 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £197,000 (£916 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of The Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust, income was £6,532 and spending £6,534 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Doncaster · Doncaster local authority: places and applications

St Oswald's CofE Academy is part of The Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• Rossington St Michael's CofE Primary School Doncaster
• Canon Popham CofE Primary Academy Doncaster
• Travis St Lawrence Church of England Primary School Doncaster
• Laughton All Saints' CofE Primary School Sheffield
• Flanderwell Primary School Rotherham
• St Alban's CofE (Aided) Primary School Rotherham
• Thrybergh Fullerton Church of England Primary Academy Rotherham
• Kilnhurst St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy Mexborough
• Trinity Croft CofE Primary Academy Rotherham
• Aston All Saints CofE (A) Primary School Sheffield

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Oswald's CofE Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was St Oswald's CofE Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St Oswald's CofE Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

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

St Oswald's CofE Academy has 226 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Oswald's CofE Academy cover?

St Oswald's CofE Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Oswald's CofE Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Oswald's CofE Academy?

St Oswald's CofE Academy is at Silver Birch Grove, Finningley, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN9 3EQ.