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Derelict building, Dinnington town centrePhoto: Jonathan Thacker · CC BY-SA 2.0
C−School Grade
Schools in Dinnington · DfE, Ofsted

Dinnington’s primaries are among England’s weakest at Key Stage 2: 36% meet the expected standard, below South Yorkshire’s towns and towns in England

That leaves Dinnington below both South Yorkshire’s towns (62%) and towns in England (62%). 6 state-funded schools are located in Dinnington’s built-up area. Dinnington grades C− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #60 of 63 in South Yorkshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.

State schools
6
4 primary, 1 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
36%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
46.7
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
40%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%

Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.

What stands out · In brief

What stands out about Dinnington’s schools

Strong secondaries, weaker primaries

Dinnington’s secondary results beat 44% of English towns; its primary results beat 0%. 36% of the town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 58% across Rotherham. Every school’s result ↓

Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.

School Grade

Dinnington grades C− for schools

Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.

Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (36% meet the standard)Better than 0% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (46.7 and 40%)Better than 44% of towns in England

The secondary figure lifts Dinnington; the primary figure holds it back.

The primary figure: 2 primaries in the town, 146 pupils in results over three years. Dinnington has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (169 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.

Map

Where Dinnington’s 6 state schools are

Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Dinnington’s built-up area.

PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter

Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.

Getting a place

How school places work in Dinnington

Rotherham Council handles applications for every state school in Dinnington, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.

Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.

When a school is full

Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 1 of Dinnington’s 5 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.

Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work

How full each school is

Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.

Anston Park Infant86%
St Joseph's incl. nursery72%
Dinnington High70%
Anston Park Junior69%
Dinnington incl. nursery68%

DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.

The schools

6 state schools in Dinnington

Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.

Letters of Dinnington’s schoolsA 0B 1C 0D 23 without a letter

Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.

Ofsted

Ofsted inspections

Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.

Good 1Requires improvement 3Ungraded inspection only 2

Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.

Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Dinnington’s 6 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.

Who runs them

4 academy trusts

Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.

Run bySchoolsPupilsTheir letters
White Woods Primary Academy TrustAnston Park Junior, Dinnington, Anston Park Infant3545D−
New Collaborative Learning TrustDinnington High11,005B−
Ethos Academy TrustElements1170—
St Francis Catholic Multi Academy TrustSt Joseph's1141D−
After 16

Where Dinnington’s teenagers go at 16

In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.

The state secondary in Dinnington has its own sixth form. The nearest college is RNN Group, a further-education college 7.2 miles away.

Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 1
state schools in Dinnington
Colleges within 12 miles
3
nearest: RNN Group
Grammar schools in Rotherham
0
no selective state secondaries
CollegeDistance
RNN GroupFurther-education college · S65 1EG7.2 mi
The Sheffield CollegeFurther-education college · S2 2RL10.1 mi
DN Colleges GroupFurther-education college · DN1 2RF11.5 mi
Special needs

Special schools and alternative provision in Dinnington

Dinnington has 1 special school (Elements: 170 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Rotherham Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑

Rotherham Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.

Towns its size

304th of 356 English towns of 8,000 to 15,000

Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Dinnington, and the top and bottom of the group.

#TownSchoolsKS2Attainment 8Grade 5+ E&M
1Chorleywood HertfordshireA+79%59.871%
…
300Ferndown DorsetC−55%43.138%
301Whitby North YorkshireC−57%39.838%
302Catterick Garrison North YorkshireC−39%45.942%
303Okehampton DevonC−41%45.343%
304Dinnington South YorkshireC−36%46.740%
305Cowes Isle of WightC−50%42.544%
306Great Harwood LancashireC−52%43.840%
307Featherstone West YorkshireC−50%44.541%
308Bursledon HampshireC−54%42.739%
…
356Sandown Isle of WightD−52%3216%
Neighbours

Dinnington and the places around it

Coloured by School Grade.

North Anston: CSouth Anston: CTodwick: B−Woodsetts: C+Thurcroft: A−Kiveton Park: C−Shireoaks: B+North AnstonSouth AnstonTodwickWoodsettsThurcroftKiveton ParkShireoaksDinnington
TownSchoolsKS2Att. 8
Dinnington
6 schools
C−36%46.7
North Anston
2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 0.7 mi
C57%46.7
South Anston
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 1.6 mi
C57%45.3
Todwick
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.1 mi
B−64%44.5
Woodsetts
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.4 mi
C+60%—
Thurcroft
3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.5 mi
A−70%48.8
Kiveton Park
4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3 mi
C−57%42.4
Shireoaks
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.7 mi
B+63%48.1

Thurcroft has the best-graded schools nearby (A−). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
  • Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Dinnington: 2% (England’s average school: 8%).
  • Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
  • Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
  • Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
  • Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
  • Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
  • Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.

Questions about schools in Dinnington

Are schools in Dinnington good?

Dinnington’s state schools earn a C− against schools across England: primary results beat 0% of towns in England; secondary results beat 44% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Rotherham council.

What is the best primary school in Dinnington?

On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School: 38% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.

Do Dinnington secondary schools have sixth forms?

Yes, it has one.

How do I apply for a school place in Dinnington?

Through Rotherham Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).

How many state schools are in Dinnington?

6 open state-funded schools are located in Dinnington’s built-up area: 4 primary, 1 secondary and 1 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.

Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.