Outwood Academy Danum

A book vending machine, a specialist provision for deaf students and a school parliament give Outwood Academy Danum a more distinctive identity than its headline results alone suggest. This mixed comprehensive in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, educates students aged 11 to 18, with 1,157 on the whole-school roll. Amanda Crane is the Principal.

Ofsted judged the academy Good following its visit on 8 and 9 May 2024, although behaviour and attitudes required improvement. Inclusion is a clear strength: in February 2025, Danum received Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Centre of Excellence status. The academic picture needs closer attention. GCSE Progress 8 was -0.17 in summer 2025, and A-level higher-grade results were substantially below their England benchmarks. Families should weigh the specialist support against those outcomes and the concerns about missed learning.

Inclusion here has practical substance. The ARC supports deaf students, who participate in mainstream teaching and school productions. Alongside it, The Bridge, Personalised Learning Centre (PLC) and Aspire Centre provide tailored interventions. These named provisions give parents useful starting points for discussing how support would work for their own child, rather than relying on a broad assurance that additional needs are recognised.

Most students have constructive relationships with teachers and take an interest in their lessons. The everyday atmosphere is generally courteous, with students concentrating in class and behaving sensibly in shared spaces, including the dining area. That matters in a comprehensive serving students with different starting points: relationships and predictable routines help make learning accessible. However, the positive experience of most students sits alongside difficulties for those whose attendance or behaviour interrupts their education.

Danum belongs to Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which it joined in September 2016. The trust provides a shared curriculum framework while allowing academies to adapt their subject provision to local circumstances. Its governing arrangements include an Academy Council with representation from parents, staff and the local community. Parents can therefore contribute through a formal role as well as through conversations about their child.

Student participation is another useful thread. Older students mentor younger students and take leadership roles through the school parliament. Reading champions encourage their peers to engage with books. These opportunities make responsibility something students practise, with roles that involve other people and the life of the academy. For a teenager who enjoys contributing, they offer a route to becoming more involved in school.

GCSE outcomes in the 2024/25 school year, covering summer 2025 results, were in line with the middle of schools in England on the academic ranking measure. It ranks 1,744th of 3,895 in England for GCSE results, the top 44.8%. (Ranked against all schools in England with published GCSE results, state and independent.) These are proprietary FindMySchool rankings built from official data. It is 2,178th in England overall. Locally it ranks 3rd in Doncaster.

Across the 226 students reaching the end of Key Stage 4 in that period, the Attainment 8 score was 42.8 points. Progress 8 was -0.17, placing progress from students' starting points slightly below the England average of zero. This is a more useful caution than the attainment figure alone: families should ask how teaching and intervention help students turn their earlier attainment into stronger examination outcomes.

For the same summer 2025 results, 15% achieved grades 5 or above across the English Baccalaureate subjects, and the English Baccalaureate average point score was 3.75. These measures describe different aspects of performance, so the percentage should not be read as a general GCSE pass rate. Together with Progress 8, they give parents reasons to examine their child's likely subject choices and the support available within them.

A-level outcomes for the 2024/25 school year, covering summer 2025 results, were weaker against England benchmarks. Grades A* to B accounted for about 24%, compared with 47.2% across England. Approximately 7% were A* or A, against an England average of 23.6%; there were no A* grades. These rounded school percentages describe the A-level results, rather than outcomes across every post-16 qualification.

(Ranked against all schools in England with published A-level results, state and independent.) This is another proprietary FindMySchool ranking built from official data. Its overall England position is 2,365th. Within Doncaster, it ranks 4th. For students targeting courses with demanding grade requirements, the higher-grade figures warrant a careful discussion about subject performance and individual progress.

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Teaching uses regular recall and assessment to revisit earlier work. Students return to material they have already studied, helping them retain knowledge as new content becomes more demanding. Teachers have secure subject expertise and access to professional training. The important question for parents is how those methods translate into progress in the subjects their child finds difficult, especially given the GCSE progress figure.

Assessment also triggers more focused help. Intervention teachers examine students' work and organise small-group lessons around gaps in understanding. That creates a link between identifying a problem and teaching it again. For a student who has missed an essential concept, support can concentrate on the specific obstacle rather than simply adding more general revision.

Reading receives attention beyond English lessons. Less confident readers are identified and receive intervention, while the book vending machine and reading champions make reading more visible across the academy. The physical feature is memorable, but the educational point is the combination: encouragement for students who already read and additional teaching for those who need help accessing texts.

The trust's curriculum model sequences knowledge and skills across year groups, with local adaptation of courses and teaching arrangements. Danum's provision includes a health T level designed around opportunities in the local healthcare sector. This is a concrete example of curriculum planning taking employment into account, alongside preparation for further study.

Progress is not equally strong for every group. Disadvantaged students and those with high prior attainment have not consistently achieved the progress they could. Personalised teaching and intervention are valuable resources, but their presence should be tested against a child's actual experience: what is being taught, what improvement is expected and how families will know whether it is working.

University, apprenticeships and employment all feature in Danum's post-16 destinations. For the 2023/24 leavers' cohort of 49 students, 49% progressed to university, 4% to apprenticeships and 18% to employment. The recorded proportion progressing to further education was 0%. These figures describe that cohort; they are not a forecast for a student entering the sixth form now, nor do they account for every possible destination.

Cambridge was also reached: two applications resulted in one offer and one acceptance. Such a small group demonstrates an individual route to a competitive university, but it does not establish that this is a common destination. Families considering highly selective courses should discuss the preparation available for their chosen subject and the grades they will need.

Careers preparation extends beyond university. Students learn about employment opportunities, and Years 8 to 13 receive information and engagement concerning technical qualifications and apprenticeships. The health T level connects post-16 study with local healthcare opportunities, giving a specific vocational direction to consider alongside A-level study.

Older students were positive about how the sixth form prepared them for future careers. Small teaching groups and individual help provide opportunities to discuss next steps with teachers. For families, the useful follow-up is to connect that support to a particular plan, whether a degree, technical training or employment, and ask how progress towards it is reviewed.

Applications for the academy are administered through Doncaster's Local Authority admissions process. Although Danum is an academy, families should use that coordinated route for the main school application. The trust describes its admissions as non-selective and inclusive, including welcoming students with SEND and children who are looked after. Entry is therefore framed around access to community education rather than an academic selection test.

Demand still matters. In 2025, there were 220 applications and 151 offers, with approximately 1.46 applications per offer. The academy was oversubscribed. This indicates more applications than offers, but it should not be turned into an individual family's chance of success: the application count alone does not explain how preferences and priority criteria affected allocations.

For Year 7 entry, families should check Doncaster's arrangements for their intended entry year and confirm the academy's applicable oversubscription criteria. An older demand figure is useful context, while the actual allocation decision depends on the rules for the relevant cycle. Ask about transition support too, especially where a child will need additional help settling into secondary teaching or accessing specialist provision.

Post-16 planning needs a separate conversation. The sixth form shares provision with Outwood Academy Adwick, so applicants should establish where their chosen courses are taught and how their proposed combination would work. Confirm both general entry requirements and any subject-specific conditions, together with the arrangements for internal progression or an application from another school.

Safety education covers concrete risks. Students learn about online grooming and knife crime, alongside consent, drugs and healthy relationships. Bullying is uncommon and is addressed when it arises. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. These are useful reassurances for parents, with personal development teaching addressing situations teenagers may encounter beyond school as well as conduct within it.

Sixth-form students also learn about sexual health and financial responsibilities, including mortgages and managing money. That extends preparation for adulthood beyond qualifications. For students moving towards greater independence, practical knowledge can help them make informed decisions about relationships and finances alongside their education or employment plans.

Specialist support is a substantial part of the pastoral picture. Staff working with deaf students receive relevant training, and the ARC supports participation in mainstream school life. The Bridge, Personalised Learning Centre (PLC) and Aspire Centre add tailored interventions for students with different barriers to learning. In February 2025, the academy's inclusion recognition also highlighted its partnerships with families, employers and external agencies. Parents should discuss which team would coordinate their child's support and how it connects with classroom teaching.

Attendance and suspensions remain the main qualifications to this positive account. Too many students were persistently absent in May 2024, and suspensions, including repeated suspensions, were high. Both problems meant lost teaching time. Additional staff had been recruited to support behavioural needs, but the measures to reduce suspensions were still relatively recent. For a child who struggles with attendance or meeting behaviour expectations, families need a clear discussion about early help and maintaining access to learning.

Basketball, debating, journalism and oil painting offer different ways for students to become involved. Sport gives one route into shared activity, while debating and journalism create opportunities to develop arguments and communicate ideas. Oil painting adds a practical creative outlet. The choices are useful because students can pursue interests that do not all depend on the same kind of confidence or academic strength.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is another established opportunity. Alongside clubs, it contributes to experiences beyond ordinary lessons. Families whose child enjoys practical challenges can ask about the participation arrangements and how the award fits around schoolwork. The relevant detail is the opportunity itself; participation should be discussed for the individual student rather than assumed.

Drama also connects with inclusion. Deaf students take part in school productions, and a British Sign Language club helps other students understand hearing impairment. This gives inclusion a social dimension: specialist support enables participation, while peers have an opportunity to learn more about communication. It is a useful example of additional provision reaching beyond a separate support space.

Environmental action has had a practical effect on school life. The climate change crew influenced changes to sustainability policies. Students therefore have an example of expressing a view and seeing it affect decisions. For teenagers interested in environmental issues, that is a more concrete form of involvement than simply studying the topic in class.

Leadership continues through the school parliament and mentoring by sixth-form students. Those roles connect older students with the wider academy, giving them responsibility for contributing to other students' experiences. Parents should ask which activities are available to their child's year group and how students join, particularly when an interest or a leadership role could help them feel more connected to school.

Danum is state-funded, with no tuition fees. Families should establish the daily timetable, transport arrangements and any before- or after-school care they need, alongside current uniform requirements. The school day, travel and care arrangements, current uniform details, admissions dates and priority criteria, and sixth-form entry conditions need confirmation. This is not published in the evidence we hold.

Shared sixth-form provision with Outwood Academy Adwick is a practical consideration as well as an academic one. Before choosing post-16 courses, ask where teaching takes place and what attending that combination would involve. A suitable subject offer must also fit the student's daily journey.

• Missed learning. Persistent absence and high levels of suspension, including repeat suspensions, were concerns in May 2024. Families whose child needs attendance or behaviour support should ask how problems are addressed early and how learning continues after an interruption.
• Uneven progress. Disadvantaged students and those with high prior attainment were not consistently progressing as well as they could. Ask how intervention or additional challenge would be matched to your child, with clear ways to review its effect.
• Post-16 grades. Summer 2025 A-level higher-grade outcomes were below the England averages. Students aiming for demanding university offers should examine their intended subjects and discuss realistic grade targets and support.
• Applications and shared provision. The academy was oversubscribed in 2025, and sixth-form provision is shared with Outwood Academy Adwick. Confirm the relevant admissions arrangements and the practical pattern of teaching before making a decision.

Danum is best suited to local families seeking an inclusive comprehensive with identifiable specialist support, opportunities for student participation and a route into post-16 education. The ARC, tailored learning interventions and individual sixth-form support give that assessment substance. Clubs, mentoring and the school parliament provide further ways to build confidence and contribute.

The main caveat is the gap between the provision available and the outcomes of some students. Attendance, suspensions and uneven progress need careful attention, while A-level higher-grade results call for particular scrutiny from ambitious university applicants. For parents, the decisive conversation is about their own child: which support or challenge they would receive, how it would work in lessons and what evidence would show that it was helping.