Hall Cross Academy
Thorne Road, Doncaster, DN1 2HY
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- EXCEED LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr Simon Swain
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Exceed Learning Partnership
- Constituency
- Doncaster Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 2,000
- Pupils on roll
- 2,039
- URN
- 137842
- Local authority
- Doncaster
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01302320626
About this school
Hall Cross Academy is a secondary academy in Doncaster. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 2,039 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Hall Cross Academy, and its latest judgement is set out 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 24 May 2023, 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 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 267 | 293 | 301 |
| Attainment 8 score | 49.6 | 49.9 | 47.8 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.48 +0.31 to +0.66 | +0.55 +0.39 to +0.72 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 49% | 51.2% | 45.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 71% | 74.4% | 65.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 6% | 11.6% | 10.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Hall Cross Academy 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 | 49.6 | 42 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 49.9 | 39.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 47.8 | 40.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,910 |
| 2023/24 | 1,991 |
| 2024/25 | 2,038 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Hall Cross Academy compares
Hall Cross Academy ranked 8th of 20 secondary schools in Doncaster for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 68% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 47.8 | 7% | 31.3% | 2,039 | — |
| Doncaster UTC | 48.6 | 5.2% | 24.6% | 770 | 0.4 miles |
| XP School | 39.8 | 7.8% | 29.3% | 246 | 0.8 miles |
| XP East | 36.9 | 7.9% | 25.6% | 273 | 0.8 miles |
| Astrea Academy Woodfields | 36.8 | 9.9% | 49.6% | 662 | 1.8 miles |
| Outwood Academy Danum | 42.8 | 9.9% | 41% | 1,083 | 1.9 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)
- 31.32%
- English as an additional language
- 19.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.98%
- Persistent absence
- 19.53%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Doncaster UTC0.4 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
-
XP School0.8 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
-
XP East0.8 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
-
Astrea Academy Woodfields1.8 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
-
Outwood Academy Danum1.9 miles
Secondary · Doncaster
Other schools in Doncaster
Hall Cross Academy ranks 8th of the 20 ranked secondary schools in Doncaster.
- Armthorpe Academy Secondary
- Ash Hill Academy Secondary
- Astrea Academy Woodfields Secondary
- Campsmount Academy Secondary
- De Warenne Academy Secondary
- Don Valley Academy Secondary
- Doncaster UTC Secondary
- Hungerhill School Secondary
- Outwood Academy Adwick Secondary
- Outwood Academy Danum Secondary
- Ridgewood School Secondary
- Sir Thomas Wharton Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Hall Cross Academy teach?
- Hall Cross Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Doncaster.
- Who is the headteacher of Hall Cross Academy?
- The headteacher of Hall Cross Academy is Mr Simon Swain, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Hall Cross Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hall Cross Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Hall Cross Academy?
- Hall Cross Academy has 2,039 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Hall Cross Academy full?
- Hall Cross Academy has capacity for 2,000 pupils and 2,039 on roll (102%), 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 Hall Cross Academy a faith school?
- No. Hall Cross Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Hall Cross Academy a selective school?
- No. Hall Cross Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Hall Cross Academy part of an academy trust?
- Hall Cross Academy is part of EXCEED LEARNING PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Hall Cross Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 49.6 in 2022/23 and 47.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Hall Cross Academy compare with other schools in Doncaster?
- Hall Cross Academy ranked 8th of 20 secondary schools in Doncaster for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 68% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 26% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Hall Cross Academy's absence rate?
- Hall Cross Academy's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hall Cross Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hall Cross Academy'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 1 July 2026.