Rowena Academy, Doncaster
Rowena Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Doncaster, part of Delta Academies Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. It was 74% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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 26 Oct 2026
Rowena Academy in detail
Getting a place at Rowena Academy
For September 2026 entry, 49 families put Rowena Academy as their first choice and 74 named it as one of their preferences, for 50 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Rowena Academy are Morley Place Academy (0.2 miles, Good, 89% reading, 87% maths); St Alban's Catholic Primary and Nursery School (0.4 miles, 58% reading, 63% maths); Castle Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 78% reading, 74% maths); and Conisbrough Ivanhoe Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 66% reading, 64% maths).
Morley Place AcademySt Alban's Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolCastle AcademyConisbrough Ivanhoe Primary Academy
The trust
Rowena Academy is one of 64 schools run by Delta Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
19 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Rowena Academy (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 100% 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 is happy at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (33%).
Who goes there
0.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 23 pupils (9.3%) received SEN support and 4 (1.6%) 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 Conisbrough Rail Station, about 670 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gardens Lane/Thirlwall Avenue (at), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Rowena Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Rowena Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at creating a warm, respectful environment where children thrive both academically and personally. Reading is taught exceptionally well from the early years, and the school's ambition to develop every child's character and understanding of the wider world is outstanding. The school goes the extra mile to ensure all pupils, including those with additional needs, can participate fully in school life and extra-curricular activities.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding personal development with exemplary character building and age-appropriate discussions about important topics -
- Outstanding early years provision that prepares children exceptionally well for Year 1 -
- Strong phonics and reading teaching with well-matched books and effective interventions for pupils who need extra support -
- Excellent behaviour and conduct with pupils showing maturity and responsibility -
- Inclusive approach with adapted resources enabling pupils with SEND to access the curriculum successfully
Areas for Improvement
- Key Stage 1 writing curriculum not implemented well enough - pupils need more opportunities to practice and secure basic skills like sentence structure, letter formation and handwriting -
- Some lessons have learning tasks that don't match the intended curriculum, meaning pupils don't record their understanding effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, playground leader roles, Rowena Rangers leadership programme, lunchtime sports clubs, anti-bullying activities, charity fundraisers, community visits to nearby care home
Rowena Academy is a primary school where pupils enjoy coming to school and engage well with adults and each other in a warm, supportive environment. The school is ambitious for pupils' academic and personal development, with pupils working hard and achieving well.
At a Glance
32.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
19 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
27.7
Infant (KS1)
7
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 Rowena Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Rowena Academy.
- Active Care - Morley Place Academy350m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rowena Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rowena 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
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
2 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 Rowena Academy
Will you get a place at Rowena Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Rowena Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Rowena Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Rowena Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Doncaster, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Rowena Academy for 2014 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
74%
Available places
195 pupils
264 places
69 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
11.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
246
Total Pupils
117
Boys
129
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
20.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,007
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,787
Per pupil
£1399k
Total funding
£126k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
17.9%
Persistent absence
145
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
Rowena Academy
Questions parents ask about Rowena Academy
What is Rowena Academy's Ofsted rating?
Rowena Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Rowena Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Rowena 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 Rowena Academy?
Rowena Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 74% of its 264 places.
How big are the classes at Rowena Academy?
Classes at Rowena Academy average 29.7 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 Rowena Academy?
Rowena Academy has around 246 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Rowena Academy?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Rowena Academy in 2024/25. 17.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Rowena Academy?
Apply through Doncaster's coordinated admissions process, naming Rowena 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 Rowena Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Rowena Academy: Active Care - Morley Place Academy (350m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Rowena Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 2 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 Rowena Academy?
Rowena Academy is at Gardens Lane, Conisbrough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN12 3JY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)