Moorside Primary School & Nursery

About Moorside Primary School & Nursery

Moorside Primary School & Nursery in North Yorkshire holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across both its most recent inspection in 2023 and its previous one in 2017. The most telling academic metric for this primary school is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, which sits at 68%. That figure places the school comfortably above the North Yorkshire local authority average of 60%, and it ranks 65th out of 223 primary schools in the area. In national terms, Moorside sits in the top 35% of all primary schools, with a ranking score of 68 out of 100. The school’s individual subject scores are also solid: 79% of pupils met the expected standard in maths, with an average scaled score of 105, and 71% did the same in both reading and writing. Only 4% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects, however, suggesting that while most children achieve a solid baseline, stretching the highest attainers is a more focused area for improvement.

Ofsted’s breakdown from the September 2023 inspection shows consistent Good ratings across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The inspectors noted no outstanding elements, but the school has held steady at Good for over six years, which suggests reliable, if not exceptional, performance. The school’s Progress 8 scores are not available, so it is difficult to measure how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points, but the above-average KS2 results indicate that children generally leave meeting national expectations. With 27.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage, making its solid results all the more notable. The school’s capacity is 210, and with 173 pupils on roll, it is not yet full, though it was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 43 applications for 23 places and making 19 first-preference offers.

Moorside offers a practical range of facilities including a sensory room, forest school, art studios, music rooms, an ICT suite, and a gymnasium. Its SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder, making it a viable option for families whose children require additional support. Sports on offer include cross country, dance, athletics, rounders, swimming, cricket and tennis, while clubs are limited to eco club, gardening and book club. The school has no nursery provision and no sixth form, as expected for a primary. For families prioritising academic consistency over standout performance, Moorside represents a solid, well-rated local option that outperforms the county average, though those seeking an Outstanding-rated school would need to look 1.1 km away at St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School.

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