Waterside School, Doncaster
Waterside School is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 17 in Doncaster. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2026 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Waterside School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Waterside School are Harrison College (0.3 miles); Doncaster School for Deaf Children (0.8 miles, Good); Yorkshire Rose College (0.8 miles, Good); and More Than Ed Independent School (1.5 miles).
Harrison CollegeDoncaster School for Deaf ChildrenYorkshire Rose CollegeMore Than Ed Independent School
Who goes there
In 2026, 38 pupils (97.4%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Doncaster Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Middle Bank/Lady Bank Drive (adjacent), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 672 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Doncaster (131), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
North Bridge Enterprise College excels at creating a caring, safe environment where pupils in small classes receive strong support from staff who know them well. The school is expanding to a purposefully-designed new building with excellent facilities for both academic learning and vocational subjects like food technology, hair and beauty, and construction. Staff demonstrate genuine care for pupils and work effectively with external professionals to ensure every child receives the right support.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding culture with robust oversight and prompt action on concerns
- High ratio of adults to pupils with small class groups enabling strong staff-pupil relationships
- Well-designed new premises with dedicated learning spaces for academic and vocational subjects
- Comprehensive health and safety procedures including regular fire risk assessments
- Effective recruitment processes with thorough background checks on all staff
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with a shared culture understood by all staff, robust oversight, prompt referrals, and regular training ensuring pupils are kept safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Physical education, vocational learning in food technology and hair and beauty, construction
This is a material change inspection for North Bridge Enterprise College, which has applied to move premises and increase pupil numbers. The school is likely to meet independent school standards if the proposed changes are approved.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Waterside School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 46
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 46 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 10 serious and 35 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise.
13 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
52%
Available places
39 pupils
75 places
36 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Doncaster
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Doncaster
Across Doncaster council
Places available
3,913
Applications
3,506
Got 1st preference
89.9%
Got preferred school
97.4%
All secondary applications across Doncaster council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
38
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
97.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Waterside School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
39
Total Pupils
31
Boys
8
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Waterside School
Showing 10 of 14 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Waterside School
What are GCSE results like at Waterside School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Waterside School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Waterside School's Ofsted rating?
Waterside School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2024, it was rated Good.
Does Waterside School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in March 2024, Waterside School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Waterside School?
Waterside School has around 39 pupils on roll.
Does Waterside School have specialist SEN provision?
Waterside School is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How do I apply to Waterside School?
Waterside School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Waterside School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 46 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 10 serious and 35 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 5 in a vehicle or otherwise. 13 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 Waterside School?
Waterside School is at Eco Power Stadium (East Stand), Stadium Way, Doncaster, DN4 5JW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)