Balby Central Primary Academy
Littlemoor Lane, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 0LL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE ROSE LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Cooke
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Doncaster Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 480
- Pupils on roll
- 448
- URN
- 143962
- Local authority
- Doncaster
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01302321914
About this school
Balby Central Primary Academy is a primary academy in Doncaster. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 448 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Balby Central Primary 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 59 | 54 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 37% | 49% | 57% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 3% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 57% | 64% | 65% |
| Expected standard in maths | 60% | 64% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 62% | 68% | 65% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.80 | - | - |
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 Balby Central Primary 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 | 37% | 54.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 49% | 57.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 57% | 60.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 458 |
| 2023/24 | 469 |
| 2024/25 | 445 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Balby Central Primary Academy compares
Balby Central Primary Academy ranked 64th of 87 primary schools in Doncaster for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57% | 5.2% | 40.6% | 448 | — |
| St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School | 69% | 3.6% | 24% | 243 | 0.3 miles |
| Hexthorpe Primary School | 21% | 6.1% | 57% | 439 | 0.3 miles |
| Atlas Academy | 39% | 5% | 46.1% | 423 | 0.5 miles |
| Woodfield Primary School | 63% | 5.6% | 40% | 402 | 0.8 miles |
| Richmond Hill Primary Academy | 74% | 4.2% | 11.5% | 414 | 1.0 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)
- 40.64%
- English as an additional language
- 42.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.24%
- Persistent absence
- 14.59%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Hexthorpe Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Atlas Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Woodfield Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Richmond Hill Primary Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Doncaster
Other schools in Doncaster
Balby Central Primary Academy ranks 71st 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
- Barnburgh Primary Academy Primary
- Barnby Dun Primary Academy Primary
- Bawtry Mayflower Primary School Primary
- Beckingham Primary School Primary
- Belton All Saints CofE Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Balby Central Primary Academy teach?
- Balby Central Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Doncaster.
- Who is the headteacher of Balby Central Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Balby Central Primary Academy is Mrs Emma Cooke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Balby Central Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Balby Central Primary 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 Balby Central Primary Academy?
- Balby Central Primary Academy has 448 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Balby Central Primary Academy full?
- Balby Central Primary Academy has capacity for 480 pupils and 448 on roll (93%), so it has space against 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 Balby Central Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Balby Central Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Balby Central Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Balby Central Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Balby Central Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Balby Central Primary Academy is part of THE ROSE LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Balby Central Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 37% in 2022/23 and 57% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Balby Central Primary Academy compare with other schools in Doncaster?
- Balby Central Primary Academy ranked 64th of 87 primary schools in Doncaster for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Balby Central Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Balby Central Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Balby Central Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Balby Central Primary 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 10 July 2026.