Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School

About Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School

Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in the North Yorkshire local authority, catering for 96 pupils aged 5 to 11. It sits within a competitive local landscape: among the 292 primary schools in the authority, it ranks 221st on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of the county. For context, the top-performing peers in the area include Eppleby Forcett Church of England Primary School and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, both of which achieve the highest possible ranking score of 100, as well as Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary School with a score of 95. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in September 2023, confirmed that it remains Good, a rating it has held consistently since at least its previous graded inspection in December 2013. Leadership and management, as well as overall effectiveness, were both judged Good in that earlier graded inspection, and the school continues to operate under headteacher Sarah Taylor.

Academically, the school’s key stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show a mixed picture. Just 29% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the North Yorkshire local authority average of 60%. In individual subjects, 43% reached the expected standard in reading and 43% in maths, while only 29% did so in writing. Higher attainment was limited: 29% achieved a higher standard in reading, 14% in maths, and none in writing. Average scaled scores were 103 in reading and 101 in maths, both slightly above the national baseline of 100 but not enough to lift the combined measure. Progress scores are not available for any subject, so it is difficult to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The school’s ranking reflects these outcomes: it sits in the bottom 50% nationally, at the 97th percentile, and in the bottom 50% regionally within Yorkshire and the Humber.

On the practical side, the school offers a range of facilities including a Forest School, sensory room, library, outdoor playground, playing fields and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, gymnastics, cross country, rounders, cricket and swimming, while clubs include art, drama, choir and gardening. The school has a clear focus on supporting pupils with additional needs, with SEND provisions listed for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school was oversubscribed: 12 first-preference applications were received for 12 places, with a total of 22 applications overall, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.83. This suggests strong local demand, particularly from families who value the school’s Church of England character and its small, well-resourced setting, though the academic results may give pause to those prioritising high attainment in core subjects.

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