The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School

About The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School

The Donington Cowley Endowed Primary School sits in the middle of the pack academically within Lincolnshire, with 52% of its pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2. That is five percentage points below the local authority average of 57% for primary schools, placing the school 154th out of 280 similar schools in the county. In the more localised South Holland district, it ranks 15th out of 32 primary schools, putting it just below the halfway mark. The school's average scores in reading and maths both sit at 103, which is exactly the national expectation, though the proportion reaching the higher standard in these subjects is relatively low — 17% in reading and 11% in maths, compared with 9% in writing. With nearly 40% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage, which provides important context for these headline figures.

Ofsted visited in March 2025 and judged the school Good across all areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The early years provision was also rated Good. This represents a consistent picture from the previous inspection in 2019, which also awarded an overall Good rating, though at that time early years provision was judged as Requires Improvement. The parent view, based on 29 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is broadly positive: 93% of parents said their child is happy at the school, and 93% agreed the school makes them aware of what their child will learn. However, there are some notable areas of concern — 20% of parents disagreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and 24% disagreed that the school lets them know how their child is doing.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 48 applications for 30 places and 29 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.6. Facilities include a sports hall, library, ICT suite, music rooms, art studios, playing fields and a sensory room, with clubs covering book club, coding, chess and gardening. Sports on offer include swimming, cricket, tennis, athletics, cross country and rounders. The school has identified SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. With a Good Ofsted rating, a slightly below-average but not alarming KS2 performance, and a strong parent vote on happiness and safety, this school is likely to suit families who value a stable, well-led local primary with good facilities, particularly those whose children may benefit from the SEND support on offer.

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