Bessacarr Primary

Bessacarr Primary School is performing well, maintaining a 'Good' grade across all inspection areas. The school fosters a warm and welcoming environment where both academic progress and pastoral care are prioritized. Pupils demonstrate strong understanding of the school's core values, and the positive relationships between staff and students create a conducive learning atmosphere. A comprehensive curriculum is in place, particularly excelling in the teaching of reading and mathematics, which are delivered with high expectations for all pupils. Parents express strong satisfaction with the school’s offerings.

Strengths

• Strong teaching of early reading with a comprehensive phonics program.
• Broad and balanced curriculum with ambitious expectations for all pupils.
• Positive and respectful relationships between staff and pupils.
• Effective character development initiatives to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.
• Well-planned opportunities for personal health education.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject leaders lack clarity on early years as a foundation for learning.
• Inconsistencies in curriculum design across areas of early years that need refinement.

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 Bessacarr Primary attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.4% 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, 0.2% of pupils at Bessacarr Primary 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 Bessacarr Primary had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 7.1% of pupils at Bessacarr Primary were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 Bessacarr Primary received £5,895 and spent £5,923 for each of its 435 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £398,000 (£916 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Empowering Minds Academy Trust, income was £6,585 and spending £6,362 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

Bessacarr Primary is part of Empowering Minds Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Hawthorn Primary School Doncaster
• Southfield Primary Doncaster
• Tranmoor Primary Doncaster
• Highwoods Academy Mexborough

What is Bessacarr Primary's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bessacarr Primary is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Bessacarr Primary last inspected by Ofsted?

Bessacarr Primary was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Bessacarr Primary have?

Bessacarr Primary has 462 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bessacarr Primary cover?

Bessacarr Primary for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bessacarr Primary's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bessacarr Primary?

Bessacarr Primary is at Ellers Avenue, Bessacarr, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN4 7DT.