Meadowside Academy

About Meadowside Academy

Meadowside Academy is a state primary school in North Yorkshire that is running very close to full capacity, with 205 pupils on roll against a published capacity of 210. The school serves a community with a notably high proportion of children eligible for free school meals, at 25.9 per cent, which is above the national average for primary schools. Demand for places is extremely strong: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 86 applications for just 25 places, an oversubscription ratio of 3.44 to one. Of those 86 applicants, 21 were first-preference choices, and all 21 were offered places. The school is clearly a popular choice among local families, and the headteacher, Simon Crawford, leads a mixed-gender, non-religious school for children aged 4 to 11.

Academically, the picture is more mixed. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024, the school was rated Good overall, with Good in every category including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. That represents a downgrade from its previous inspection in 2012, when it was rated Outstanding. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 45 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the North Yorkshire local authority average of 60 per cent. The school ranks 188th out of 223 primary schools in the county on this measure, placing it in the bottom half of schools locally and nationally. Individual subject scores were more varied: 65 per cent met expectations in writing, but only 3 per cent reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined. Reading and maths average scores were 103 and 102 respectively.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an outdoor playground, ICT suite, sports hall, art studios, playing fields and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, athletics, football, cross country, tennis and netball, and there are clubs for book club, coding and eco club. SEND provision is well developed, with support for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is oversubscribed, so families applying should be prepared for a competitive admissions process. Meadowside Academy will suit families who value a strong pastoral and SEND offer in a popular local school, but who are comfortable with academic outcomes that sit below the county average. It is not a school that pushes for high attainment at KS2, but it is clearly a well-regarded community hub.

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