St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School
Roberts Road, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 0JN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Bernadette Nesbit
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hallam
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Doncaster Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 243
- URN
- 106762
- Local authority
- Doncaster
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01302344678
About this school
St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Doncaster. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 243 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 31 January 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 43% | 41% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 3% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 46% | 66% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 46% | 59% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 61% | 52% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 100.0 | 103.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 98.0 | 101.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.60 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Doncaster average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 43% | 54.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 41% | 57.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 60.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 228 |
| 2023/24 | 239 |
| 2024/25 | 240 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School compares
St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School ranked 37th of 87 primary schools in Doncaster for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 3.6% | 24% | 243 | — |
| Balby Central Primary Academy | 57% | 5.2% | 40.6% | 448 | 0.3 miles |
| Atlas Academy | 39% | 5% | 46.1% | 423 | 0.3 miles |
| Hexthorpe Primary School | 21% | 6.1% | 57% | 439 | 0.6 miles |
| Woodfield Primary School | 63% | 5.6% | 40% | 402 | 1.0 miles |
| Town Field Primary School | 58% | 4.4% | 31.5% | 464 | 1.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.04%
- English as an additional language
- 35.4%
- Overall absence
- 3.63%
- Persistent absence
- 4.89%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Balby Central Primary Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Atlas Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Hexthorpe Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Woodfield Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Town Field Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Doncaster
Other schools in Doncaster
St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School ranks 39th of the 96 ranked primary schools in Doncaster.
- Adwick Primary School Primary
- Arksey Primary School Primary
- Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy Primary
- Askern Littlemoor Infant Academy Primary
- Askern Moss Road Infant Academy Primary
- Atlas Academy Primary
- Auckley Primary Academy Primary
- Balby Central Primary Academy Primary
- Barnburgh Primary Academy Primary
- Barnby Dun Primary Academy Primary
- Bawtry Mayflower Primary School Primary
- Beckingham Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School teach?
- St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Doncaster.
- Who is the headteacher of St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School is Mrs Bernadette Nesbit, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School?
- St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School has 243 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School full?
- St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School has capacity for 240 pupils and 243 on roll (101%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hallam.
- Does St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 43% in 2022/23 and 69% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School rank locally?
- St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School ranked 37th of 87 primary schools in Doncaster for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.