Austwick Church of England VA Primary School

About Austwick Church of England VA Primary School

Austwick Church of England VA Primary School sits within the North Yorkshire local authority, a large and varied county for primary education. Among the 292 primary schools in the area, Austwick ranks 73rd, placing it comfortably in the top third. Its closest peers at the very top of the local rankings are Eppleby Forcett Church of England Primary School, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, and Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary School, all of which achieve the highest possible ranking scores. Austwick itself holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it received following its most recent graded inspection in 2019, and an ungraded inspection in November 2024 confirmed that standards are being maintained. The school is led by headteacher Beth McHardy and has a Church of England religious character. With just 56 pupils on roll against a capacity of 70, it is a genuinely small village primary, and its size is a defining feature of the experience it offers.

Academically, Austwick’s Key Stage 2 results from the 2023/24 academic year show a mixed but interesting picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 67%, which is ahead of the North Yorkshire local authority average of 60%. In reading, the average scaled score was a strong 116, and half of all pupils achieved the higher standard. Maths was more modest, with an average score of 109 and a third of pupils reaching the higher threshold. Writing saw 17% hitting the higher standard. The school’s overall ranking, based on the combined expected standard metric, places it in the top 50% nationally and within the top tier of schools in the region. Ofsted’s breakdown from the 2019 graded inspection rated both leadership and management and early years provision as Good, and the school’s previous Outstanding rating from 2007 has been superseded by the current Good judgement.

The school offers a practical, well-equipped environment for its pupils. Facilities include a sports hall, playing fields, a forest school area, a sensory room, a library, music rooms and a chapel. Sports on offer include swimming, athletics, gymnastics, netball, dance and tennis, while clubs extend to drama, choir, coding and eco club. The school’s SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, and social, emotional and mental health needs. Admissions for the 2025/26 year show the school was oversubscribed, with 21 applications for 9 places and all first-preference applicants offered a spot. Parent View responses, based on 16 respondents, were largely positive: 81% would recommend the school, 88% agreed or strongly agreed their child is happy, and 94% felt their child does well. However, a minority of parents expressed concerns around behaviour management and how concerns are handled, which is worth noting. This is a school best suited to families seeking a small, Church of England village primary with strong reading outcomes and a broad range of activities, but who are comfortable with its limited size and the occasional parental friction.

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