Craven Primary Academy

About Craven Primary Academy

If you're a parent in Hull weighing up primary options, the numbers at Craven Primary Academy speak loudly. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 66 applications for just 27 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.44 — meaning more than two families wanted every spot. All 27 first-preference applicants were offered a place, which suggests that for those who put it top of their list, it worked out. The school doesn't publish a formal parent recommendation percentage, but that level of demand is a strong signal in itself. Craven is a state primary for children aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site, and is rated Outstanding by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in 2016, a rating confirmed as unchanged in an ungraded visit in 2022. Headteacher Laura Hartmann leads a school of 222 pupils, with capacity for 262.

Academically, Craven performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 79% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Kingston upon Hull average of 65%. That places the school 11th out of 69 primaries in the local authority, putting it in the top 25% nationally. The proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was 14%, while in reading specifically 48% achieved that higher mark. Average scores were 107 in reading and 106 in maths, both above the national benchmark. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection gave top marks across the board: Outstanding for overall effectiveness, leadership and management, and early years provision. Its previous inspection in 2012 rated the school Inadequate, so the turnaround has been significant.

The school offers a solid set of facilities including playing fields, a sports hall, a forest school area, a library and a chapel. Sports on offer include dance, gymnastics, netball and tennis, while clubs range from coding and chess to drama, choir and art. Craven's SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, visual impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest other Outstanding-rated primary is Estcourt Primary Academy, just 0.3 km away, so there is competition in the immediate area. For families who value strong academic outcomes relative to the local authority, a clear Ofsted track record, and a school that is genuinely oversubscribed, Craven Primary Academy is a compelling choice.

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