Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

About Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Bilsdale Midcable Chop Gate Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a tiny state primary in the North Yorkshire local authority, serving just nine pupils aged 4 to 11. That makes it one of the smallest schools in a large authority of 292 primary schools, only 16 of which hold an Outstanding Ofsted rating. Among its local Church of England peers, the school sits alongside well-regarded names like Eppleby Forcett Church of England Primary School and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, both of which top the local ranking, as well as Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary School. With a capacity of 42, the school is clearly a very small village setting, and its Church of England character is reflected in facilities including a chapel on site. Headteacher Matthew Scott leads a mixed-gender intake, and the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 confirmed it remains Good, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2015.

Academically, the school’s outcomes are limited by its tiny cohort, but the available data shows a positive trajectory. In its 2017 graded inspection, the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management and for early years provision. The 2023 ungraded inspection confirmed the school continues to meet the Good standard, with early years provision again rated Good. The school’s Progress 8 and KS2 SATs scores are not published in the data, so direct comparison to the North Yorkshire LA average of 60 for KS2 is not possible here. However, the school’s improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across two inspections suggests a stable and effective leadership team. With only nine pupils, individual attention is likely high, and the school’s small size means any academic results would be heavily influenced by the performance of a handful of children, making year-on-year comparisons less meaningful than at larger schools.

For families considering this school, the practical context is key. The school offers a broad range of facilities for its size, including an ICT suite, library, sensory room, gymnasium, sports hall, forest school, art studios, and chapel. Sports include cricket, football, tennis, and cross country, while clubs range from chess and book club to coding, choir, and science club. SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, and other difficulties or disabilities. Admissions data for the 2025/26 intake shows the school was oversubscribed, with six applications for just one place, and one first-preference offer made. This suggests strong local demand despite the tiny roll. The school suits families who value a small, rural Church of England primary with a strong community feel, forest school access, and a wide range of enrichment activities, but who are prepared for the possibility of a competitive admissions process.

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