Rowena Academy

About Rowena Academy

Rowena Academy enjoys strong backing from its families. In the most recent Parent View survey, 95% of respondents said they would recommend the school, and every single parent agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. The school is clearly popular locally: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 74 applications for 59 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.25. Of those, 58 families put Rowena as their first choice, and all 58 were offered a place. Parents also feel their children do well academically, with 95% agreeing or strongly agreeing with that statement. The picture is slightly more mixed on communication: while 84% feel the school lets them know what their child will learn, around a quarter disagree that concerns are dealt with properly, and a similar proportion are unhappy with how the school updates them on progress. Still, the overall sentiment is very positive, and the school’s Good Ofsted rating from a November 2024 inspection backs that up.

Academically, Rowena Academy is a primary school for children aged 3 to 7, so it doesn’t publish Key Stage 2 results — its pupils move on to another school before that stage. Instead, the most recent Ofsted report gives a detailed picture of its strengths. The school was rated Outstanding for early years provision and for personal development, and Good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. This is a step down from its previous inspection in 2013, when it was judged Outstanding overall, but the current inspection was a graded one and the overall effectiveness was not judged, so the Good ratings across the board are the most current picture. The school serves a relatively disadvantaged community, with 39.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Ofsted noted that behaviour is good and that pupils feel safe, which aligns with the Parent View data where 94% of parents said their child feels safe.

The school offers a nursery provision for three-year-olds, and its facilities include a sensory room, ICT suite, gymnasium, sports hall, music rooms, and even a chapel. There is a strong focus on physical activity, with sports such as tennis, rounders, cross country, cricket, netball, and athletics on offer, plus clubs for coding, film, and gardening. For families with children who have special educational needs, Rowena has provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed, so parents applying for a place should be aware that demand outstrips supply. With its strong parent satisfaction, Good Ofsted rating, and broad range of facilities and clubs, Rowena Academy is a solid choice for families in Doncaster looking for a nurturing start for their youngest children.

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