Carr Lodge Academy, Doncaster
Carr Lodge Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Doncaster, part of Exceed Learning Partnership. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 34th-highest of the 96 schools in Doncaster with published results, and 5,071st of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Doncaster (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Carr Lodge Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at Carr Lodge Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 85% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 77% in Doncaster and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (82% in reading, 83% in maths).
Getting a place at Carr Lodge Academy
For September 2026 entry, 61 families put Carr Lodge Academy as their first choice and 85 named it as one of their preferences, for 57 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 4 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Carr Lodge Academy are Woodfield Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 75% reading, 77% maths); The Mallard Academy (1.1 miles); Balby Central Primary Academy (1.4 miles, Good, 65% reading, 69% maths); and Waverley Academy (1.4 miles, Good, 84% reading, 76% maths).
Carr Lodge Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Woodfield Primary SchoolThe Mallard AcademyBalby Central Primary AcademyWaverley Academy
The trust
Carr Lodge Academy is one of 10 schools run by Exceed Learning Partnership, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
16.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (73%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 76 pupils (17%) received SEN support and 12 (2.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Doncaster Rail Station, about 2 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wellingley Road/Grady Drive (near), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Carr Lodge Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Carr Lodge Academy issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Carr Lodge Academy are Astrea Academy Woodfields (0.4 miles), XP School (1.5 miles) and XP East (1.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils enjoy attending this caring and inclusive school. Pupils value their learning and have highly positive relationships with staff. Everyone is welcome at this school and made to feel part of a family. Pupils can sit on a 'buddy bench' to get support from their peers if they feel sad, worried or lonely.
Pupils achieve well and make excellent progress through the curriculum. Leaders continually refine the curriculum so that it is strengthened further. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are given the precise support they need and make excellent progress in lessons. Children in the early years receive an exceptional quality of support and have an accelerated start to their educational life at school.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders have designed and implemented a curriculum which allows pupils to develop deep knowledge and understanding. Leaders have taken great care to ensure that this knowledge is developed from the early years and regularly revisited. The curriculum makes extensive links between different subjects and explores the relevance of learning to the wider world. The books selected for pupils to read are closely linked to the curriculum. For example, in geography pupils read a story about the plight of an orangutan to develop empathy with the central character. This then inspires them to learn about palm oil trade across the world.
Teachers have excellent knowledge of the subjects that they teach. Lessons are thought provoking and encourage pupils to think deeply. Pupils enjoy learning and like being challenged. They connect their learning to different topics and revisit prior learning through retrieval tasks at the start of lessons.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2019 inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
16.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 82% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 85% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.4
Avg class size
29.2
Infant (KS1)
29.4
KS2
14
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Carr Lodge Academy
Before and after school care
Carr Lodge Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Doncaster
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Carr Lodge Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Carr Lodge Academy is in Doncaster; for families living there:
Apply to Doncaster for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 3 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Doncaster is 10 (the median across 143 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Carr Lodge Academy
Will you get a place at Carr Lodge Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Carr Lodge Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Carr Lodge Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Carr Lodge Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Doncaster, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Carr Lodge Academy for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Doncaster got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
416 pupils
420 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Doncaster
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Doncaster
Across Doncaster council
Places available
4,235
Applications
3,089
Got 1st preference
96.5%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All primary applications across Doncaster council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
76
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
19.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
448
Total Pupils
236
Boys
212
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
20.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,118
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2289k
Total funding
£103k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
10.1%
Persistent absence
367
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Carr Lodge Academy
Questions parents ask about Carr Lodge Academy
What are SATs results like at Carr Lodge Academy?
Of the pupils at Carr Lodge Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% reached the expected standard in reading and 85% did so in maths.
What is Carr Lodge Academy's Ofsted rating?
Carr Lodge Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Carr Lodge Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Carr Lodge Academy is oversubscribed, Doncaster allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Carr Lodge Academy?
Carr Lodge Academy was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Carr Lodge Academy?
Classes at Carr Lodge Academy average 29.4 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Carr Lodge Academy?
Carr Lodge Academy has around 448 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Carr Lodge Academy?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Carr Lodge Academy in 2024/25. 10.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Carr Lodge Academy?
Apply through Doncaster's coordinated admissions process, naming Carr Lodge Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Carr Lodge Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Carr Lodge Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Carr Lodge Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 3 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Doncaster is 10 (the median across 143 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Carr Lodge Academy?
Carr Lodge Academy is at Grady Drive, Balby, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN4 8GA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)