Highwoods Academy

Highwoods Academy is a mainstream primary school in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, serving a community with well above average deprivation and free school meals. It is part of Empowering Minds Multi Academy Trust and has undergone significant leadership change since the last inspection, with a new headteacher and senior team appointed. This full section 5 inspection judged the school to be at the strong standard overall, with strong standards in curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. The school's strengths are considerable. Leaders have developed a rigorous, ambitious curriculum that is well tailored to all pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Teaching is highly effective, and phonics teaching has been strengthened, leading to improved reading. Inclusion is a notable strength, with meticulous support for vulnerable pupils. Personal development and wellbeing are key strengths; pupils are happy, safe, respectful, and demonstrate excellent behaviour. Early years provision is well designed, and disadvantaged pupils achieve slightly higher than disadvantaged pupils nationally. Areas for development remain. Attendance, while improving, is still above national averages, and persistent absence is a concern. Published outcomes, though close to national averages, do not yet reflect the school's improved curriculum and teaching. Leaders need to further develop strategic oversight to ensure consistent precision in identifying priorities and sustaining rapid improvements. Achievement, attendance and behaviour, early years, and leadership and governance are all judged at the expected standard, indicating further work is needed to reach the strong standard seen in other areas.

Strengths

• Rigorous, sequenced, and ambitious curriculum tailored to all pupils.
• Highly effective teaching with well-considered adaptations for SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Strong inclusion with meticulous support and rapid identification of barriers.
• Personal development and wellbeing are key strengths, with comprehensive PSHE.
• Pupils show high levels of tolerance, respect, and understanding of diversity.
• Calm, orderly behaviour and positive relationships throughout the school.
• Effective pastoral support that develops pupils' emotional regulation and resilience.
• Wide range of enrichment opportunities, including clubs, visits, and leadership roles.
• Precise phonics teaching leading to improved reading outcomes.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve slightly higher than disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Early years provision is well designed and prepares children well for Year 1.
• Leaders are committed, staff feel supported, and governance is effective.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance, including persistent absence, remains above national averages, though improving.
• Published outcomes are close to national averages but do not yet reflect the school's improved curriculum and teaching.
• Strategic oversight of school priorities requires further development to ensure consistent precision and rapid improvements.
• Achievement, attendance and behaviour, early years, and leadership and governance are judged at the expected standard, indicating scope for further development.

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 Highwoods Academy attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.9% 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, 4.0% of pupils at Highwoods 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 Highwoods Academy had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.9% 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, 15.7% of pupils at Highwoods Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Highwoods Academy received £7,489 and spent £6,846 for each of its 198 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £544,000 (£2,749 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 Mexborough · Doncaster local authority: places and applications

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

• Bessacarr Primary Doncaster
• Hawthorn Primary School Doncaster
• Southfield Primary Doncaster
• Tranmoor Primary Doncaster

What is Highwoods Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highwoods Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Highwoods Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Highwoods Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Highwoods Academy have?

Highwoods Academy has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highwoods Academy cover?

Highwoods Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Highwoods Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Highwoods Academy?

Highwoods Academy is at Highwoods Road, Mexborough, South Yorkshire, S64 9ES.