Sir Thomas Wharton Academy, Doncaster
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Sir Thomas Wharton Academy excels at helping all pupils thrive, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. The school offers an extraordinary range of enrichment activities and personal development opportunities that genuinely transform pupils' aspirations and prepare them exceptionally well for their futures. Pupils enjoy coming to school, behave respectfully, and feel safe - creating a calm, focused learning environment where they develop both academic skills and important character traits like resilience and self-belief.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional personal development programme with diverse enrichment activities including horse riding, fishing, rowing with an Olympian, and international trips to places like Costa Rica
- Excellent behaviour and attendance, with a strong culture of high expectations and significant improvements in persistent absence
- Highly inclusive approach that removes barriers for all pupils, with tailored support for those with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils
- Strong leadership focused on pupils' best interests, with innovative support provisions and comprehensive careers guidance
- Well-planned, ambitious curriculum delivered by teachers with secure subject knowledge using evidence-informed teaching strategies
Areas for Improvement
- Sixth-form achievement needs to be more consistently high - leaders recognize some students could make better progress
- Teaching quality in a small number of post-16 subjects requires improvement to ensure consistency
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have created an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Horse riding, fishing, rowing with an Olympian, international trips (Costa Rica), An Audience With programme, mental health first aider mentoring, pupil parliament, work experience, employer encounters, higher education visits, student leadership, enrichment activities
Sir Thomas Wharton Academy is a high-performing school where pupils enjoy learning in a calm, respectful environment with strong personal development opportunities. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils and prioritize inclusion, ensuring vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils receive excellent support.
At a Glance
32.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
23 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
22.5
Avg class size
49
Total classes
10 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
97%
Near capacity
1,226 pupils
1,266 capacity
40 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Doncaster
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Doncaster
Admissions Demand - Doncaster
Places available
3,878
Applications
3,298
Got 1st preference
89.8%
Got preferred school
97.6%
Secondary admissions across Doncaster (2025/26)
Inspection History(103)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.53567%
Overall absence
26.84063%
Persistent absence
1,073
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Sir Thomas Wharton Academy
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