Sherburn Church of England Primary Academy

About Sherburn Church of England Primary Academy

Sherburn Church of England Primary Academy is a small village primary in North Yorkshire, and its most recent Ofsted rating of Inadequate places it well below the local authority average, where 16 out of 292 primary schools are rated Outstanding. The school has just 36 pupils against a capacity of 80, and 45.5% of them are eligible for free school meals, a figure that signals a high level of disadvantage compared with the county average. The LA average for Key Stage 2 attainment sits at 60, but Sherburn’s own results are not available in the data, making it impossible to say whether pupils are hitting that benchmark. What is clear is that the school has declined sharply since its previous inspection in 2013, when it was rated Good across the board. The current picture shows leadership and management judged Inadequate, with quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and personal development all requiring improvement. For parents weighing up options, this is a school that has significant ground to make up.

Academically, the data gives little to go on beyond the Ofsted breakdown. The school does not publish Progress 8 or Key Stage 2 SATs scores in the available records, so it is not possible to compare its value-add against the North Yorkshire average. The inspection report from June 2022 rated the quality of education as Requires improvement, meaning that the curriculum is not yet consistently delivering strong outcomes for pupils. Early years provision also requires improvement, which is relevant given that the school offers nursery provision for children aged two and above. The previous Good rating in 2013 suggests that the school has historically been capable of stronger performance, but the current leadership team, led by headteacher Jo Evans, has been unable to arrest the decline. Without exam data, parents will need to rely on the inspection findings and any progress reports from the school itself to judge whether standards are rising.

On the practical side, Sherburn is a Church of England school with a chapel on site, and it offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, library, music rooms, and an outdoor playground. Sports provision covers gymnastics, cricket, athletics, tennis, netball, and football, while clubs include drama, eco club, choir, chess, and science club. The school has identified SEND provisions for speech, language and communication needs and autistic spectrum disorder, which will be relevant for families with children requiring that support. Admissions for the 2025/26 year show the school is oversubscribed: six applications for one place, with one first-preference offer made. That oversubscription ratio of 6:1 suggests local demand remains strong despite the Ofsted rating, possibly because of the small class sizes and village setting. This school will suit families who are committed to working closely with the leadership to drive improvement, and who value a tight-knit, rural primary with a Christian character.

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