Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy
Mere Lane, Armthorpe, Doncaster, DN3 2DB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST FRANCIS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Michaela Sansom
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hallam
- Constituency
- Doncaster Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 217
- URN
- 144469
- Local authority
- Doncaster
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01302833941
About this school
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Doncaster. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 217 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 20 | 29 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 52% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 3% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 85% | 69% | 89% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 69% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 69% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.00 | - | - |
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 Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary 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 | 65% | 54.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 52% | 57.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 60.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 190 |
| 2023/24 | 203 |
| 2024/25 | 213 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy compares
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy ranked 34th of 87 primary schools in Doncaster for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 4.9% | 19.7% | 217 | — |
| Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy | 72% | 4.1% | 24.9% | 462 | 0.3 miles |
| Southfield Primary | 93% | 4.9% | 13.1% | 248 | 0.6 miles |
| Tranmoor Primary | 54% | 5% | 27.9% | 426 | 0.7 miles |
| Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy | 59% | 5% | 30.3% | 194 | 0.9 miles |
| Canon Popham CofE Primary Academy | 63% | 5% | 12% | 239 | 1.2 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report12 February 2025
- 7 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 19.72%
- English as an additional language
- 25.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.88%
- Persistent absence
- 10.22%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Armthorpe Shaw Wood Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Southfield Primary0.6 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Tranmoor Primary0.7 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Edenthorpe Hall Primary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Doncaster
-
Canon Popham CofE Primary Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Doncaster
Other schools in Doncaster
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy ranks 36th 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 Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy teach?
- Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Doncaster.
- Who is the headteacher of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- The headteacher of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy is Mrs Michaela Sansom, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary 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 big is Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy has 217 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy full?
- Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 217 on roll (103%), 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 Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hallam.
- Does Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy?
- Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of ST FRANCIS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 65% in 2022/23 and 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy rank locally?
- Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy ranked 34th of 87 primary schools in Doncaster for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy's absence rate?
- Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Voluntary 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.