Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy

Doncaster · DN3 2DB

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 217 pupils, 20.3% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 15.2% on SEN support Behaviour 4.9% absence rate Staff 3.6% turnover Financials £6,531 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy

General Information

Address: Mere Lane, Armthorpe, Doncaster, DN3 2DB – View on map
Phone: 01302833941
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Mary Shelton
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 22 families put it first for 25 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Roman Catholic
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

217 pupils out of 210 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 44
% eligible for free school meals: 20.3%
Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (more mixed than the Doncaster average)
English as an additional language: 30% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 3.6% a year (Doncaster 14.1%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 0% moved to another school, 100% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Doncaster: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 4 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 9 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 3 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Doncaster, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 10.2%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 15.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 13 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 10 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 9 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 6 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2020 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 71% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 8 percentage points above the Doncaster average (63%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 62% against an expected 62%)
3-year average (expected standard): 62%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 89% · Writing 75% · Maths 93% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 82%
Average test scores: reading 106, maths 105
Based on: 28 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolDoncaster averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 8 percentage points above the Doncaster average (63%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 32nd of 87 junior and primary schools in the area

=30Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy72%
=30Windhill Primary School72%
=32Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy71%
=32St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington71%
=32Tickhill Estfeld Primary School71%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Southfield Primary93%
#2Crookesbroom Primary Academy84%
#3Intake Primary Academy81%
#4Hooton Pagnell All Saints Church of England Primary School80%
=5Adwick Primary School79%
=5Auckley Primary Academy79%
=5Hatfield Woodhouse Primary School79%
=5Willow Primary School79%
=9Bentley High Street Primary School78%
=9Hill Top Academy78%
=11Kingfisher Primary Academy77%
=11Montagu Academy77%
=11Morley Place Academy77%
=11St Oswald's CofE Academy77%
=15Edlington Victoria Academy76%
=15Marshland Primary Academy76%
=15Sheep Dip Lane Academy76%
=15Warmsworth Primary School76%
=19Bessacarr Primary75%
=19Denaby Main Primary Academy75%
=19Pheasant Bank Academy75%
=19Rosedale Primary School75%
=23Castle Academy74%
=23Copley Junior School74%
=23Richmond Hill Primary Academy74%
=23Scawthorpe Castle Hills Primary Academy74%
=27Barnby Dun Primary Academy73%
=27Dunsville Primary School73%
=27Kirk Sandall Junior School73%
=30Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy72%
=30Windhill Primary School72%
=32Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy71%
=32St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington71%
=32Tickhill Estfeld Primary School71%
=35Barnburgh Primary Academy69%
=35Brooke Primary Academy69%
=35Hayfield Lane Primary School69%
=35St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School69%
=35St Joseph's School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy69%
=40Branton St Wilfrid's Church of England Primary School67%
=40Carr Lodge Academy67%
=40Highfields Primary Academy67%
=40Highwoods Academy67%
=40Tickhill St Mary's Church of England Primary and Nursery School67%
#45Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands66%
=46Bawtry Mayflower Primary School65%
=46Plover Primary School65%
=48Rossington St Michael's CofE Primary School64%
=48Waverley Academy64%
=50Canon Popham CofE Primary Academy63%
=50Scawthorpe Sunnyfields Primary School63%
=50West Road Primary Academy63%
=50Woodfield Primary School63%
#54Toll Bar Primary School62%
=55Kirkby Avenue Primary School61%
=55Scawsby Junior Academy61%
=55Spa Academy Askern61%
#58Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School60%
=59Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy59%
=59St Peter's Catholic Primary School59%
=59Wadworth Primary School59%
=62St Alban's Catholic Primary and Nursery School58%
=62Town Field Primary School58%
#64Balby Central Primary Academy57%
=65Bentley New Village Primary School56%
=65Norton Junior School56%
=65Thorne King Edward Primary School56%
=65Travis St Lawrence Church of England Primary School56%
=69Hawthorn Primary School55%
=69St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School55%
=71Park Primary School54%
=71Tranmoor Primary54%
=73Carcroft Primary School53%
=73Green Top53%
=73Long Toft Primary School53%
#76Holy Family Catholic Primary School52%
#77Lakeside Primary Academy51%
#78Owston Park Primary Academy49%
#79New Pastures Primary School48%
=80Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School47%
=80Sandringham Primary School47%
#82Conisbrough Ivanhoe Primary Academy40%
#83Atlas Academy39%
=84Hatchell Wood Primary Academy38%
=84Stainforth Kirton Lane Primary School38%
#86Mexborough St John the Baptist CofE Primary School34%
#87Hexthorpe Primary School21%

View full Ofsted inspection report

36th of 55 primary schools in Doncaster for Ofsted rating

#34Montagu AcademyGood
#35New Pastures Primary SchoolGood
#36Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#37Outwood Primary Academy WoodlandsGood
#38Owston Park Primary AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Hill Top AcademyOutstanding
#2Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3Adwick Primary SchoolGood
#4Armthorpe Shaw Wood AcademyGood
#5Auckley Primary AcademyGood
#6Balby Central Primary AcademyGood
#7Barnby Dun Primary AcademyGood
#8Bawtry Mayflower Primary SchoolGood
#9Bessacarr PrimaryGood
#10Branton St Wilfrid's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#11Brooke Primary AcademyGood
#12Canon Popham CofE Primary AcademyGood
#13Carcroft Primary SchoolGood
#14Carr Lodge AcademyGood
#15Castle AcademyGood
#16Conisbrough Ivanhoe Primary AcademyGood
#17Crookesbroom Primary AcademyGood
#18Denaby Main Primary AcademyGood
#19Dunsville Primary SchoolGood
#20Edenthorpe Hall Primary AcademyGood
#21Edlington Victoria AcademyGood
#22Hatchell Wood Primary AcademyGood
#23Hatfield Woodhouse Primary SchoolGood
#24Hawthorn Primary SchoolGood
#25Hayfield Lane Primary SchoolGood
#26Hexthorpe Primary SchoolGood
#27Highfields Primary AcademyGood
#28Hooton Pagnell All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#29Kingfisher Primary AcademyGood
#30Lakeside Primary AcademyGood
#31Long Toft Primary SchoolGood
#32Marshland Primary AcademyGood
#33Mexborough St John the Baptist CofE Primary SchoolGood
#34Montagu AcademyGood
#35New Pastures Primary SchoolGood
#36Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#37Outwood Primary Academy WoodlandsGood
#38Owston Park Primary AcademyGood
#39Park Primary SchoolGood
#40Richmond Hill Primary AcademyGood
#41Rosedale Primary SchoolGood
#42Sandringham Primary SchoolGood
#43Scawthorpe Sunnyfields Primary SchoolGood
#44St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#45St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#46St Joseph's School, a Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#47Stainforth Kirton Lane Primary SchoolGood
#48Thorne King Edward Primary SchoolGood
#49Tickhill Estfeld Primary SchoolGood
#50Town Field Primary SchoolGood
#51Tranmoor PrimaryGood
#52Waverley AcademyGood
#53West Road Primary AcademyGood
#54Willow Primary SchoolGood
#55Windhill Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,531 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

41st of 82 primary schools in Doncaster for spending per pupil

#39Highwoods Academy£6,545
#40Hill Top Academy£6,538
#41Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy£6,531
#42Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy£6,515
#43Park Primary School£6,511

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Highfields Primary Academy£9,505
#2Denaby Main Primary Academy£9,018
#3Castle Academy£8,869
#4Arksey Primary School£8,287
#5Toll Bar Primary School£8,031
#6Stainforth Kirton Lane Primary School£7,950
#7Hooton Pagnell All Saints Church of England Primary School£7,744
#8Long Toft Primary School£7,694
#9Sheep Dip Lane Academy£7,622
#10Conisbrough Ivanhoe Primary Academy£7,619
#11Holy Family Catholic Primary School£7,551
#12Scawthorpe Castle Hills Primary Academy£7,518
#13St Alban's Catholic Primary and Nursery School£7,504
#14Bentley New Village Primary School£7,468
#15Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School£7,460
#16Carcroft Primary School£7,283
#17St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School£7,280
#18West Road Primary Academy£7,212
#19Waverley Academy£7,211
#20Rosedale Primary School£7,130
#21Windhill Primary School£7,078
#22Marshland Primary Academy£7,074
#23Intake Primary Academy£7,058
#24Bawtry Mayflower Primary School£7,057
#25Outwood Primary Academy Woodlands£7,010
#26Kirkby Avenue Primary School£6,922
#27St Joseph's School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy£6,920
#28Edlington Victoria Academy£6,889
#29Thorne King Edward Primary School£6,844
#30Hawthorn Primary School£6,797
#31Atlas Academy£6,748
#32Mexborough St John the Baptist CofE Primary School£6,727
#33Branton St Wilfrid's Church of England Primary School£6,689
#34Balby Central Primary Academy£6,678
#35Hexthorpe Primary School£6,661
#36Wadworth Primary School£6,585
#37New Pastures Primary School£6,565
#38Brooke Primary Academy£6,551
#39Highwoods Academy£6,545
#40Hill Top Academy£6,538
#41Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy£6,531
#42Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy£6,515
#43Park Primary School£6,511
#44Adwick Primary School£6,509
#45Owston Park Primary Academy£6,501
#46Bentley High Street Primary School£6,491
#47Sandringham Primary School£6,335
#48Woodfield Primary School£6,259
#49Lakeside Primary Academy£6,259
#50Tickhill St Mary's Church of England Primary and Nursery School£6,211
#51Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy£6,206
#52Auckley Primary Academy£6,198
#53Barnby Dun Primary Academy£6,195
#54Barnburgh Primary Academy£6,195
#55Tickhill Estfeld Primary School£6,161
#56Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School£6,143
#57Hatchell Wood Primary Academy£6,141
#58Canon Popham CofE Primary Academy£6,119
#59Town Field Primary School£6,070
#60St Peter's Catholic Primary School£6,067
#61Scawthorpe Sunnyfields Primary School£6,039
#62Tranmoor Primary£6,025
#63Richmond Hill Primary Academy£6,015
#64St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Edlington£5,989
#65Warmsworth Primary School£5,924
#66Rossington St Michael's CofE Primary School£5,919
#67Carr Lodge Academy£5,889
#68St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School£5,870
#69Dunsville Primary School£5,863
#70Hayfield Lane Primary School£5,830
#71St Oswald's CofE Academy£5,828
#72Southfield Primary£5,825
#73Montagu Academy£5,792
#74Crookesbroom Primary Academy£5,716
#75Hatfield Woodhouse Primary School£5,673
#76Bessacarr Primary£5,623
#77Kingfisher Primary Academy£5,620
#78Travis St Lawrence Church of England Primary School£5,591
#79Plover Primary School£5,428
#80Willow Primary School£5,361
#81Green Top£4,980
#82The Mallard Academy£4,767

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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