Oasis Academy Don Valley

Oasis Academy Don Valley is a large all-through school in a deprived area of Sheffield, part of Oasis Community Learning. Inspectors found the school improving after a period of turbulence since its previous inspection, with safeguarding standards met and early years provision described as a strength. Leadership and governance are functioning at the expected standard: the trust has provided significant additional resources and staffing capacity, including the executive principal, and this has helped stabilise behaviour and improve professional learning. Personal development and wellbeing are also expected standard, with an ambitious PSHE/RSE curriculum, strong cultural inclusion work, a broad range of clubs, and well-integrated careers education. However, several core areas need attention. Achievement is low overall and below national averages over multiple years, with older pupils' gaps in knowledge hampering their later learning. Attendance is a significant concern, with high overall absence and persistent absence, particularly in the secondary phase. Curriculum and teaching remain inconsistent, and inclusion requires improvement because assessment and planned SEND support are not routinely implemented well in lessons. Behaviour has improved and bullying is rare, but some staff do not consistently reinforce high expectations for low-level behaviour, and improvements are more embedded in the primary phase than in the secondary phase. The report's next steps focus on ensuring consistently well-taught curriculum across subjects and phases, embedding recent attendance changes to improve attendance especially in secondary, ensuring teachers consistently implement SEND support, closing gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills quickly, and rigorously checking and sustaining improvements over time. Overall, leaders have an accurate view of what needs to improve and are working at pace, but much remains to be done before all pupils receive the consistently high-quality education they are entitled to.

Strengths

• Early years provision is well led and a strength of the school.
• Children typically achieve well by the end of Reception despite low starting points.
• Effective phonics teaching contributes to positive phonics screening check outcomes.
• Staff in early years focus strongly on children's welfare and safety.
• Leaders and the trust have a very secure understanding of the school and its needs.
• The trust has provided significant additional resources and staffing capacity.
• Governance is knowledgeable and effective in discharging its responsibilities.
• Staff wellbeing and relationships with parents and carers have improved.
• The personal development curriculum is ambitious and pays regard to national guidance.
• Cultural events and diversity work have enhanced pupils' understanding and reduced discrimination.
• Pupils benefit from a broad range of clubs, activities and pupil voice opportunities.
• Careers education is carefully integrated across the full age range.
• Behaviour has improved, suspensions have reduced and bullying is rare.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Outcomes in national assessments are broadly low and below national averages.
• Older pupils' gaps in knowledge hamper their preparedness for later learning.
• Rates of absence are high, particularly in the secondary phase.
• Persistent absence is well above the national average.
• Teaching and curriculum implementation remain inconsistent across subjects and phases.
• Teachers' use of assessment is inconsistent in some lessons.
• Planned support for pupils with SEND is not routinely implemented well in lessons.
• Some staff do not consistently reinforce high expectations for low-level behaviour.
• Disadvantaged pupils' achievement and attendance gaps have not narrowed significantly.
• Improvements are less embedded in the secondary phase and older year groups.
• Destinations after 16 are below the national average.

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 Oasis Academy Don Valley attended 89.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 14.9% of pupils at Oasis Academy Don Valley were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Oasis Academy Don Valley had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 38.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 18.5% of pupils at Oasis Academy Don Valley were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Oasis Academy Don Valley received £8,211 and spent £7,773 for each of its 1,111 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £974,000 (£877 per pupil).

Across all 56 schools of Oasis Community Learning, income was £9,249 and spending £9,031 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 Sheffield · Sheffield local authority: places and applications

Oasis Academy Don Valley is part of Oasis Community Learning, which runs 57 schools. The nearest others:

• Oasis Academy Fir Vale Sheffield
• Oasis Academy Watermead Sheffield
• Oasis Academy Broadoak Ashton-Under-Lyne
• Oasis Academy Leesbrook Oldham
• Oasis Academy Clarksfield Oldham
• Oasis Academy Limeside Oldham
• Oasis Academy Oldham Oldham
• Oasis Academy Aspinal Manchester
• Oasis Academy Lister Park Bradford
• Oasis Academy Parkwood Scunthorpe

What is Oasis Academy Don Valley's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Oasis Academy Don Valley is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Oasis Academy Don Valley last inspected by Ofsted?

Oasis Academy Don Valley was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Oasis Academy Don Valley have?

Oasis Academy Don Valley has 1,116 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oasis Academy Don Valley cover?

Oasis Academy Don Valley for pupils aged 2 to 16.

What are Oasis Academy Don Valley's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 34.3, and 29% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Oasis Academy Don Valley's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Oasis Academy Don Valley?

Oasis Academy Don Valley is at Leeds Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S9 3TY.