Heworth Church of England Primary School

About Heworth Church of England Primary School

Heworth Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in York, serving 133 pupils from ages 5 to 11. Within the local authority’s 47 primary schools, it ranks 42nd on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of the league table. The top-performing peers in the area include Knavesmire Primary School, Lord Deramore's Primary School, and Ralph Butterfield Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the same metric. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, receiving 87 applications for 20 places, with 27 first-preference requests. It holds a Church of England religious character and is led by headteacher Simon White. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in June 2024, confirmed that the school remains Good, a rating it has held consistently since at least its previous graded inspection in 2012.

Academically, Heworth’s key stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. Just 43% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, well below the York local authority average of 62%. In individual subjects, 81% met the expected standard in reading, 71% in maths, and 57% in writing. Higher-standard attainment was limited: 24% achieved the higher level in maths, 19% in reading, and none in writing. Average scaled scores were 104 in both reading and maths, which is in line with the national average of 100 but below the top-performing local schools. Progress measures are not available in the data, so it is unclear how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The school’s national ranking places it in the bottom 12% of all primary schools on the combined expected standard metric.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, sensory room, dining hall, playing fields, and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, netball, tennis, and cricket, while extracurricular clubs include drama, coding, science club, and gardening. SEND support is available for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With a capacity of 135 and 18% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively small, mixed-intake community. Oversubscription is high at a ratio of 4.35 applicants per place, so families will need to prioritise it on their application. This school may suit families seeking a small, church-affiliated primary with strong SEND provision, though those prioritising top academic outcomes may want to look at higher-ranked local alternatives like Lord Deramore’s, which is also the nearest Outstanding-rated school at 2.6 km away.

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