The Laurel Academy

About The Laurel Academy

The Laurel Academy is a secondary school in Doncaster that has clearly caught the attention of local families. For entry in 2025/26, the school received 147 applications for 120 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.23. That means for every place available, more than one family wanted it, and 112 of those applications were first-preference choices. While the school doesn't publish a parent satisfaction survey, this level of demand is a strong signal that it's a popular option in the area. The school is led by headteacher Katy Taylor-Clarke and caters to 758 pupils aged 11 to 16. It's a mixed, state-funded secondary with no sixth form, so students will need to move on elsewhere after Year 11. The school also has a relatively high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, at 45.5%, which is worth noting for context.

Academically, The Laurel Academy is performing well above the local average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.17 is significantly higher than the Doncaster local authority average of -0.04, meaning pupils here make more progress than their peers in other local schools. This places the school 7th out of 20 secondaries in Doncaster, and in the top 50% nationally. In the most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. This is a notable improvement from its previous inspection in 2017, when it was rated Inadequate. Attainment 8 sits at 43.5, and 67.3% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths, while 46% achieved a grade 5 or above. The school's EBacc entry rate is 25.7%, with 18.6% achieving the qualification at grade 4 or above.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including science labs, a theatre, music rooms, an ICT suite, and a sports hall, plus outdoor provision like astro turf and tennis courts. Sports on offer include rugby, football, hockey, swimming, and dance, while clubs range from coding and Model UN to gardening and a newspaper club. For families with children who have special educational needs, the school lists provisions for a wide range of needs including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed, so families should be prepared to apply early and list it as a first preference. It's a good fit for families who want a secondary that's academically above the local average, with strong Ofsted ratings and a broad extracurricular offer, but who are comfortable with the school not having a sixth form.

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