Acomb Primary School

About Acomb Primary School

Acomb Primary School sits within the York local authority, where it ranks 10th out of 47 primary schools based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. That places it comfortably in the top quarter of schools locally, though it is outranked by three nearby peers: Knavesmire Primary School, Lord Deramore's Primary School and Ralph Butterfield Primary School. Knavesmire, the highest-scoring of the three, is also the nearest Outstanding-rated school, just two kilometres away. Acomb itself earned an Outstanding rating in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a step up from the Good rating it held in 2014. The school is led by headteacher Lee Haynes and serves 312 pupils from ages four to eleven, operating very close to its capacity of 315 places.

Academically, Acomb Primary performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 73% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with a York average of 62%. The school also achieved strong scores in individual subjects: the average reading score was 108, and the average maths score was 106. A notable 51% of pupils reached the higher standard in reading, and 24% did so in writing. In maths, 22% hit the higher benchmark. These results place Acomb in the top 25% of primary schools nationally and in the top 22% within Yorkshire and the Humber. The school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to compare how much value it adds relative to pupils' starting points, but the attainment figures are solid across the board.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 174 applications for 44 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of nearly four to one. Of those, 60 were first-preference applications, and all 44 offers went to first-preference families. Facilities include an outdoor playground, sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, a sensory room and a chapel. Sports on offer include dance, athletics, swimming, rounders, netball and cricket, while clubs range from drama and choir to coding and science club. The school supports pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. Acomb is a non-denominational state primary with no nursery or sixth form provision, and it is not a boarding school. It will suit families in York who want a high-attaining, well-subscribed local primary with strong Ofsted credentials and a broad range of extracurricular activities.

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