The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School, Spalding
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Spalding. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 21st-highest of the 30 schools in Spalding with published results, and 12,528th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lincolnshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 68% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 71% in Lincolnshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (59% in reading, 67% in maths).
Getting a place at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School as their first choice and 59 named it as one of their preferences, for 38 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School are Quadring Cowley & Brown's Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 94% reading, 100% maths); Gosberton Academy (3.1 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); Clough and Risegate Community Primary School (3.5 miles, Good, 50% reading, 57% maths); and Swineshead St Mary's Church of England Primary School (3.7 miles).
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Quadring Cowley & Brown's Primary SchoolGosberton AcademyClough and Risegate Community Primary SchoolSwineshead St Mary's Church of England Primary School
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
37.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 5.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 28 pupils (10.8%) received SEN support and 17 (6.6%) 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
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School.
1 bus stop is within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary School (adjacent), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 2 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; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 2019, 7 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 March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will thrive in a happy, calm environment where behaviour is excellent and relationships with staff are caring and strong. The school has ambitious expectations for every pupil, including those with additional needs, and provides excellent support to help them succeed. Reading is a priority with strong phonics teaching, and your child will also enjoy a broad curriculum with music, art, sports clubs, and trips that bring learning to life.
Key Strengths
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs - staff identify needs promptly and adapt teaching effectively so these pupils achieve well
- Strong reading provision with consistent phonics teaching and early identification of weaker readers
- Good behaviour and strong relationships between pupils and staff, supported by a behaviour curriculum based on the '5 Rs'
- Rich curriculum that develops responsible citizens with opportunities for leadership roles and enrichment activities
- Effective governors who hold leaders to account and leaders who consider staff wellbeing
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent approach to identifying gaps in pupils' learning across some subjects, making it difficult to know what pupils need to improve
- Some foundation subjects not being taught with enough focus on core knowledge and skills, meaning pupils don't build understanding as well as they could
- Need for teachers to have stronger expertise in delivering the intended curriculum in all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture around pupil safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Football, netball, craft and cooking clubs, school art exhibition, school musical (All for 1,2,3,4), visits to London, residential visits, reading ambassadors, school council
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School is a good primary school where pupils are happy, feel safe, and benefit from high expectations and well-established routines. The school has strengthened its broad curriculum and provides strong support for pupils with additional needs.
At a Glance
37.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 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 remained stable at around 56% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.9
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
27.7
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School
Before and after school care
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School 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 Lincolnshire
Term dates
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Lincolnshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Thursday 3 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Wednesday 14 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Wednesday 5 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Wednesday 19 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School is in Lincolnshire; for families living there:
Apply to Lincolnshire 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
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
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, 2 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Lincolnshire is 6 (the median across 401 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 The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School
Will you get a place at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lincolnshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lincolnshire 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
92%
Near capacity
258 pupils
280 places
22 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Spalding
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Spalding
Across Lincolnshire council
Places available
8,940
Applications
6,453
Got 1st preference
96.3%
Got preferred school
99.7%
All primary applications across Lincolnshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
17.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
259
Total Pupils
145
Boys
114
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
19.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,789
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,494
Per pupil
£1589k
Total funding
£130k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
17.2%
Persistent absence
232
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
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School
Questions parents ask about The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School
What are SATs results like at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
Of the pupils at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 56% reached the expected standard in reading and 68% did so in maths.
What is The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School is oversubscribed, Lincolnshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 280 places.
How big are the classes at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
Classes at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School average 25.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School has around 259 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
6.5% of sessions were missed at The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School in 2024/25. 17.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
Apply through Lincolnshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School 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 The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School 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.
What are The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School's term dates?
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Lincolnshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Thursday 3 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Tuesday 5 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Wednesday 14 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Monday 6 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Wednesday 5 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Wednesday 19 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
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, 2 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Lincolnshire is 6 (the median across 401 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School?
The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School is at Towndam Lane, Donington, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 4TR.
Sources: Lincolnshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)