Sheep Dip Lane Academy, Doncaster
Sheep Dip Lane Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Doncaster, part of Exceed Learning Partnership. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 96 schools in Doncaster with published results, and 2,822nd of 14,452 across England. It was 80% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Doncaster (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Sheep Dip Lane Academy in detail
Sheep Dip Lane Academy in its own words
In its own words: "The children and the local community are at the heart of all we do - each term we welcome our children back and look forward to our new starters becoming part of our 'Sheep Dip' family! Our Vision - Driving forward to achieve success for the children we serve."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at Sheep Dip Lane Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 77% in Doncaster and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 79% in reading and 72% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Sheep Dip Lane Academy
For September 2026 entry, 30 families put Sheep Dip Lane Academy as their first choice and 50 named it as one of their preferences, for 31 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Sheep Dip Lane Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Sheep Dip Lane Academy are Crookesbroom Primary Academy (0.2 miles, Good, 90% reading, 97% maths); Dunsville Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 82% reading, 85% maths); Travis St Lawrence Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles, 76% reading, 61% maths); and Holy Family Catholic Primary School (1.6 miles, Outstanding, 71% reading, 52% maths).
Sheep Dip Lane Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Crookesbroom Primary AcademyDunsville Primary SchoolTravis St Lawrence Church of England Primary SchoolHoly Family Catholic Primary School
The trust
Sheep Dip Lane 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.
What parents say
11 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sheep Dip Lane Academy (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (91%).
Who goes there
50.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 8.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 65 pupils (25.4%) received SEN support and 14 (5.5%) 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 Hatfield & Stainforth Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sheep Dip Lane/Warrene Road (adjacent), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sheep Dip Lane 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
In 2024/25, Sheep Dip Lane Academy issued 2 suspensions, 0.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Sheep Dip Lane Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in April 2020. Before that, as Hatfield Sheep Dip Lane Primary School (URN 106717), it was rated Requires Improvement in May 2018.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Sheep Dip Lane creates an oasis of calm where children genuinely want to learn and behave brilliantly. The school goes well beyond the basics, offering exciting experiences through its 'Sheep Dip 70' programme and numerous trips and visitors. Pupils with additional needs are identified quickly and get expert support, while all children develop strong confidence in what they can achieve.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional behaviour and attitudes - pupils are enthusiastic learners who treat each other and staff with care and respect
- Outstanding personal development - wide range of enrichment experiences and opportunities for pupils to make a difference in their community
- Strong teaching of reading - phonics curriculum is carefully structured and consistently taught with regular checks on pupil progress
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND - quickly identified with highly skilled support in lessons
- Positive early years provision - children develop resilience and focus, with vocabulary and communication carefully developed
Areas for Improvement
- Some classroom activities in certain subjects do not give pupils enough opportunity to deepen and extend their learning as well as they could
- Teachers need better subject knowledge and skills to design tasks that fully meet the ambitious curriculum objectives
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear systems in place and a positive culture that puts children's interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Educational trips, visiting speakers, Sheep Dip 70 experiences programme
Sheep Dip Lane Academy is a primary school where pupils benefit from a calm, kind environment with exemplary behaviour and attitudes. The school has high expectations for pupil achievement and provides well-structured learning across all areas.
At a Glance
50.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
11 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 79% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 72% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 72% to 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.3
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
26.4
KS2
8
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Sheep Dip Lane Academy
Before and after school care
Sheep Dip Lane 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 Sheep Dip Lane Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sheep Dip Lane 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 7 serious and 0 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Sheep Dip Lane Academy
Will you get a place at Sheep Dip Lane Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sheep Dip Lane Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sheep Dip Lane Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sheep Dip Lane Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Doncaster, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sheep Dip Lane Academy for 2021 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
80%
Available places
223 pupils
280 places
57 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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
65
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
30.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
256
Total Pupils
136
Boys
120
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
19.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,160
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,188
Per pupil
£1625k
Total funding
£197k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
12.3%
Persistent absence
204
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
Sheep Dip Lane Academy
Questions parents ask about Sheep Dip Lane Academy
What are SATs results like at Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
Of the pupils at Sheep Dip Lane Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Sheep Dip Lane Academy's Ofsted rating?
Sheep Dip Lane Academy has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in April 2020. Before that, as Hatfield Sheep Dip Lane Primary School (URN 106717), it was rated Requires Improvement in May 2018.
What is the catchment area for Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Sheep Dip Lane 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 Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
Sheep Dip Lane Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 80% of its 280 places.
How big are the classes at Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
Classes at Sheep Dip Lane Academy average 25.3 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
Sheep Dip Lane Academy has around 256 pupils on roll. 51% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Sheep Dip Lane Academy in 2024/25. 12.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
Apply through Doncaster's coordinated admissions process, naming Sheep Dip Lane 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 Sheep Dip Lane Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Sheep Dip Lane 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 Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 7 serious and 0 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Sheep Dip Lane Academy?
Sheep Dip Lane Academy is at Sheep Dip Lane, Dunscroft, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN7 4AU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)