St Stephen's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, A Voluntary Academy

About St Stephen's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, A Voluntary Academy

St Stephen's Catholic Primary School and Nursery in North Yorkshire is a smaller-than-average primary, with 153 pupils on roll against a capacity of 218. That leaves plenty of physical space, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 49 applications for just 14 places, an oversubscription ratio of 3.5 to one. Of those, 14 families put it as their first preference, and 13 received first-preference offers. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 19.6%, which is above the national average for primary schools and suggests the school serves a relatively diverse socioeconomic catchment. As a Roman Catholic voluntary academy, the school has a religious character that shapes its intake, and it also offers nursery provision for children from age three. The headteacher is Jo Sykes.

Academically, the school's most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2022 rated it Good across all five categories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision. This marks a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2018, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 35% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well below the North Yorkshire local authority average of 60%. Reading was the strongest individual subject, with 87% of pupils reaching the expected standard and an average scaled score of 104. Maths was weaker, with 52% at expected and an average score of 102. The school ranks 214th out of 223 primary schools in North Yorkshire on the combined expected standard metric, placing it in the bottom 50 nationally.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for its size, including art studios, music rooms, a sensory room, a chapel and an outdoor playground. Sports provision covers swimming, football, tennis, athletics, cricket, rounders and netball, and there are clubs for choir, chess, drama and eco club. The school has identified SEND support for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and other difficulties or disabilities. With its strong Catholic identity, nursery provision and clear oversubscription, this is a school that suits families who prioritise a faith-based primary education and are comfortable with a smaller, community-focused setting. The academic results are below the local average, so parents focused on high KS2 outcomes may want to weigh that against the school's other strengths.

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