Ridgewood School Review 2026: Doncaster secondary with a structured day and a sizeable sixth form

Ridgewood School is a mixed, state-funded secondary with post-16 provision, serving students aged 11 to 19 in Scawsby, Doncaster. It sits within Leger Education Trust and sets out a clear, future-facing motto, ‘Prepare for the road ahead’.

The rhythm of the day is unusually explicit and tightly defined, with a daily Personal Development Programme (PDP) built into the timetable and enrichment scheduled after lessons. For families who value routine, predictable expectations, and a school that explains how learning time is used, that clarity is a practical strength.

The most recent full inspection (December 2022, published February 2023) judged the school Good, including for sixth form provision.

Ridgewood’s public-facing language centres on respect, responsibility, and resilience, and it presents these as the everyday framework for conduct and relationships. The headteacher, Mr Andy Peirson, positions the school as ambitious for outcomes but also attentive to whether students enjoy school and build the confidence to handle what comes next.

A strong clue to the school’s operating style is how much it publishes about systems. The compulsory school day is set out in detail, including arrival time, the PDP slot, lesson periods, and staggered breaks by year group. This tends to suit students who do well with consistent routines and clear transitions between learning, pastoral time, and social time.

The inspection evidence aligns with a picture of a school that has tightened its academic and behavioural practice since its previous inspection cycle. The report describes improvements to curriculum planning and teaching consistency, and it also indicates that leaders have a good grasp of which subjects are secure and which need additional support.

Leadership is publicly attributed to Mr Andy Peirson, with the role named on the school’s official pages. An appointment date is not stated on those published pages.

For Key Stage 4, Ridgewood’s outcomes sit in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Ranked 2,308th in England and 13th in Doncaster for GCSE outcomes, this reflects solid performance relative to the national distribution (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).

Attainment 8 is 45.6. Progress 8 is -0.26, which indicates students make below-average progress from the end of primary to GCSE, compared with similar starting points across England. The EBacc average point score is 3.84, and 10.7% of students achieve grades 5 or above across the EBacc subjects.

At post-16, Ridgewood’s A-level outcomes also sit in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Ranked 1,197th in England and 3rd in Doncaster for A-level outcomes, this again signals broadly typical performance on a national scale, with a stronger local position (FindMySchool ranking based on official data).

The headline grade profile shows 5.9% of A-level entries at A*, 17.3% at A, 24.8% at B, and 48.0% achieving A* to B. The A* to B figure is close to the England comparator provided.

Parents comparing Ridgewood with other local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and Comparison Tool to review GCSE and sixth form outcomes side by side, using the same methodology across schools.

The curriculum narrative that emerges from official material is one of deliberate strengthening and refinement rather than reinvention. The inspection report describes leaders increasing curriculum time for some subjects, with science highlighted as an example, to allow students to work in greater depth. It also notes that most students in Year 10 study separate sciences.

Languages provision is also flagged as an area of development. The inspection report references additional staffing and an optional after-school GCSE German course, plus a new languages course in the sixth form. That is a useful signal for families who want assurance that the school is not letting modern foreign languages drift, even when take-up can be challenging in many comprehensive settings.

The same official evidence is candid about where work remains. Reading support is described as developing, with a note that not all students identified as needing this support were receiving it at the time of inspection. Families with a child who has literacy gaps should treat this as a prompt for detailed questions about current screening, intervention capacity, and how quickly support is put in place.

Where Students Go Next

Ridgewood does not publish a single, quantified university destinations profile on its website in the way some sixth forms do, but it is explicit that it aims to prepare students for competitive pathways, including Russell Group universities and early applicant courses such as medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science, alongside apprenticeships.

For the most recent published leaver cohort (2023/24, cohort size 117), 56% progressed to university, 17% to apprenticeships, and 20% entered employment. For many families, that mix is a helpful indicator that the sixth form is not solely geared to one narrow definition of success, and that applied routes are part of the outcomes picture.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Doncaster’s local authority process rather than directly through the school. The key dates for September 2026 entry are clear: the national closing date is 31 October 2025 and offers are released on 2 March 2026.

Ridgewood’s published admissions policy for 2026/27 sets an admission number of 240.

Open events are listed centrally by the local authority for the 2026 cycle, and Ridgewood also publishes transition information. For the September 2026 intake cycle, the school’s Year 6 open evening was scheduled for Thursday 2 October 2025, which suggests an early-October pattern. For families applying in future years, it is sensible to expect open evenings around that point in the autumn term, then confirm the exact dates on the school’s updates.

For sixth form entry, Ridgewood publishes clear minimum entry thresholds. The A-level pathway requires at least 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 including English Language and Maths, and the vocational pathway requires at least 4 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, ideally including English Language and Maths. It also states that many A-level subjects expect at least a grade 5, with higher thresholds for some courses.

If you are assessing practical travel options rather than strict catchment distance, FindMySchool Map Search can help families model real-world journey times from home to school across different routes and times of day.

Pastoral support is presented as more than tutor time. Ridgewood promotes a dedicated wellbeing centre, Validus, positioned as a resource designed to meet a wide range of needs and to support students who require additional help to stay regulated and ready to learn.

The timetable itself also creates structured pastoral touchpoints. PDP sits at the start of the day and the school publishes a staggered break and lunch model by year group, which can help reduce pinch points and support calmer social time for younger students.

For students with special educational needs, the inspection evidence indicates that SEND was an explicit focus during evaluation. The report describes curriculum access for pupils with SEND and also references the review of provision for pupils with SEND as part of inspection activity.

The school builds enrichment into expectations rather than treating it as an add-on. It publishes an after-school enrichment window of 15:00 to 16:00, and it uses that slot for clubs and activities, alongside scheduled detentions where relevant.

The content of enrichment matters as much as the fact it exists, and Ridgewood’s own updates give concrete examples. A school news item references options such as Art club (open to all on multiple days), Boxercise, and a Ukulele club.

Post-16 enrichment includes academic stretch opportunities as well as structured support for next steps. The sixth form enrichment offer includes MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), which are described as online courses offered by universities and intended to give students experience of university-level study in a flexible format.

Facilities are also described in a way that maps to sixth form priorities, with a dedicated Sixth Form Centre, subject-specific classrooms, science and STEM laboratories, resource centres with text and equipment access, multiple IT suites, and a 200-seat multi-use auditorium, alongside study and social spaces, a café, and a Careers Hub.

The compulsory school day runs from 8:40am to 3:10pm. The published structure includes a daily PDP slot, five lesson periods, and staggered break and lunch times by year group. After-school enrichment is scheduled from 15:00 to 16:00.

For travel, the school encourages walking or cycling where it is safe and references local school transport routes, including buses 540, 541, 542, and 441, with timings subject to change through the transport authority.

• Progress measures. Progress 8 is -0.26, which signals that outcomes, on average, sit below the progress made by similar students nationally. Families may want to ask how the school targets support for students who arrive in Year 7 behind age-related expectations.

• Literacy intervention maturity. The most recent inspection evidence notes that reading support was still developing, and that not all students identified for support were receiving it at that time. If literacy is a key need, ask for current details on screening, intervention capacity, and review points.

• EBacc strength and fit. The proportion achieving grades 5 or above across the EBacc subjects is 10.7%, and the EBacc average point score is 3.84. Students strongly oriented towards a full EBacc pathway may benefit from a detailed conversation about options, groupings, and subject take-up.

• Admissions calendar discipline. Doncaster’s coordinated admissions deadlines are firm, with 31 October 2025 for September 2026 entry and offers on 2 March 2026. Missing the window changes how applications are processed, so administrative planning matters.

Ridgewood School is a well-organised comprehensive with a clearly published structure to the day, a visible enrichment offer, and a substantial sixth form. The quality of education and sixth form provision have been judged Good in the most recent full inspection cycle, and facilities described for post-16 study suggest serious intent around progression and employability.

Best suited to families who want a mainstream, mixed 11 to 19 school with explicit routines, a structured personal development slot, and a sixth form that supports multiple routes, university, apprenticeships, and employment.