Oasis Academy Don Valley, Sheffield

Ofsted's report card from its 19 May 2026 inspection grades Oasis Academy Don Valley on 7 areas: 3 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Early years - Expected standard. "The school's early years provision is well led and a strength of the school."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, including those from the trust, have a very secure understanding of the school and the current standard of education that it provides to pupils."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school, supported by the trust, has developed an ambitious curriculum for both personal, social and health education and relationships and sex and health education."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Outcomes in national assessments, such as GCSEs and end-of-key-stage tests, are broadly low and below national averages."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Rates of absence are high."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The school has adopted the trust's ambitious curriculum, making adjustments to reflect its context and pupils' requirements."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Leaders accurately identify pupils' barriers to learning and wellbeing, including special educational needs and/or disabilities."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the school's curriculum is consistently well taught across subjects and phases"; "Leaders should embed recent and planned changes in the school's attendance strategy to secure improved attendance of pupils, particularly in the secondary phase"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently implement the school's planned support for pupils with SEND in lessons"; "Leaders should ensure that staff consistently close gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills quickly, strengthening their understanding of the curriculum and achievement in national assessments"; "Leaders should ensure that changes to improve the school are rigorously checked, evaluated and adjusted so that improvements, such as those in standards of behaviour, are built upon and sustained over time".

In its own words: "We will create a thriving Academy that is at the heart of our community, committed to developing successful learners for the future, through delivering outstanding outcomes for all. Through this we will ensure that our learners leave us prepared to have a positive impact on the world in their own unique way."

From the headteacher's welcome: "At our Academy our mission is simple, to provide all children with an exceptional education which is at the heart of our community. Within the Academy, we celebrate diversity and relentlessly focus on the attainment of all of our children."

In 2026, pupils at Oasis Academy Don Valley averaged an Attainment 8 score of 34.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Sheffield and 47 across England.

29% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 47% in Sheffield and 47% in England.

That is down from 36.8 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.59: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 32.2, against 38.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.2 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 19 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, German and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 153 families put Oasis Academy Don Valley as their first choice and 254 named it as one of their preferences, for 148 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 14 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Oasis Academy Don Valley are UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park (0.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.4); Fir Vale Academy (1.1 miles, Attainment 8 23.7); Sheffield Park Academy (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 37.4); and Astrea Academy Sheffield (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.9).

Oasis Academy Don Valley's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

Oasis Academy Don Valley is one of 58 schools run by Oasis Community Learning, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 41.1 in 2024/25.

33 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Oasis Academy Don Valley (as of April 2026): 52% would recommend the school, 55% say their child is happy there and 33% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (70%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (33%).

Of the 119 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 34% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

67% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 54% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (55%), Black (12%) and other ethnic groups (9%).

In 2026, 206 pupils (18.5%) received SEN support and 27 (2.4%) 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.

Oasis Academy Don Valley had 54 teachers in 2026, one for every 20 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Attercliffe Platform to Meadowhall, about 410 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Worksop Road/Britnall Street (adjacent), 160 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Oasis Academy Don Valley stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Oasis Academy Don Valley issued 436 suspensions, 38.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Oasis Academy Don Valley are Phillimore Community Primary School (0.5 miles), High Hazels Nursery Infant Academy (0.8 miles), High Hazels Junior School (0.8 miles) and Whiteways Primary School (1 mile). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.