The Laurel Academy

The Laurel Academy is performing well, showing a good overall effectiveness in various aspects of education such as quality of teaching, behavior, and personal development. The school has established a strong culture of high expectations and maintains effective relationships among pupils and staff. There is a noticeable emphasis on academic rigor, where pupils are performing well in examinations and benefiting from a broad curriculum that aligns with local employment opportunities. Improvements in reading initiatives are evident, particularly for younger students, although there are ongoing challenges in developing pupils' vocabulary and cultural awareness.

Strengths

• Strong culture of high expectations established by leaders.
• Effective relationships between pupils and staff.
• Ambitious curriculum that aligns with local employment opportunities.
• Regular monitoring of pupils' understanding and needs.
• High-quality careers education provided to all pupils.
• Increasing range of extra-curricular activities available.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils lack the range of vocabulary needed for effective communication.
• Aspects of the personal development curriculum, particularly regarding other cultures and faiths, are underdeveloped.

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 The Laurel Academy attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.3% 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, 10.3% of pupils at The Laurel Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 The Laurel Academy had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.6% 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, 14.0% of pupils at The Laurel Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.5% 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 The Laurel Academy received £7,672 and spent £9,262 for each of its 765 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £704,000 (£920 per pupil).

Across all 62 schools of Delta Academies Trust, income was £7,459 and spending £7,562 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

The Laurel Academy is part of Delta Academies Trust, which runs 62 schools. The nearest others:

• Montagu Academy Mexborough
• Goldthorpe Primary Academy Rotherham
• Rowena Academy Doncaster
• De Warenne Academy Doncaster
• Morley Place Academy Doncaster
• Highfields Primary Academy Doncaster
• Don Valley Academy Doncaster
• Pheasant Bank Academy Doncaster
• Grange Lane Infant Academy Doncaster
• Rossington All Saints Academy Doncaster

What is The Laurel Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Laurel Academy is Good, from an inspection in April 2023.

When was The Laurel Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Laurel Academy was last inspected in April 2023.

How many pupils does The Laurel Academy have?

The Laurel Academy has 755 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Laurel Academy cover?

The Laurel Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are The Laurel Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 47.8, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Laurel Academy?

The Laurel Academy is at Maple Road, Mexborough, South Yorkshire, S64 9SD.