School Chooser

Keeble Gateway Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedFree school204 pupilsNurseryThirskNorth Yorkshire
School Chooser Score
15
Below
similar schools
Likely range 6 to 35
Out of 100. Better than 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2024
Attendance93.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
Places32 spare204 pupils, 236 places
Pupils per teacher21.3School workforce census
Pupils on roll204Census January 2026

Keeble Gateway Academy is a free school in Thirsk for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 204 pupils and room for 236. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 15 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Inspiration Way, Sowerby, Thirsk, YO7 1TS01845 448227keeblegatewayacademy.orgMr Jonathan Davies headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 23 January 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

Plenty of spare places155 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
74% full

55 places were empty (26% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 112% since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to North Yorkshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll204Census January 2026
Places23686% full
Pupils from low-income families18%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English2%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%25 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%13 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.77 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils14%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)23%£65,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls96 / 108
White British pupils95%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 28.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (16), Autistic spectrum disorder (12), emotional and mental health (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll2041781481339771
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals18%17%12%14%16%16%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language2%2%1%2%1%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support15%14%18%17%18%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%5%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school15.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils7.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.2%5.0%5.6%5.3%1.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.8%3.7%4.4%4.5%1.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.3%1.2%0.8%0.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence15.2%10.5%14.1%9.5%0.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate7.32.02.30.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.2full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher21.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£47,273
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.42024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,532England £7,128. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£6,825England £7,587. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,281England £3,405
Money in reserve14%A healthy amount put by: £166k, £969 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£50kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,532spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m5812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate40 per 1,000 people56% lower than the England average
Nearest bus stop220 mAldi, 7 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Sowerby Primary AcademyAcademy830 m279Good 202231Compare
All Saints Catholic Primary School, a Catholic Voluntary AcademyAcademy940 m94Good 202343Compare
Thirsk Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles122Report card 20263Compare
Carlton Miniott Primary AcademyAcademy1.8 miles196Good 202377Compare
South Kilvington Church of England AcademyAcademy2.3 miles85Report card 202694Compare
Alanbrooke AcademyAcademy2.6 miles27No overall grade 2025100Compare
Topcliffe CofE AcademyAcademy3.1 miles116No overall grade 202590Compare
Sessay Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy4.3 miles79Good 20204Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Keeble Gateway Academy with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats8%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 15 is 31 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 11 · middle 47 · highest 88100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 15 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 15% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 6 to 35. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.46
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.09
2024/25; 132 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Keeble Gateway Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Keeble Gateway Academy scores 15 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 6 to 35, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Keeble Gateway Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Keeble Gateway Academy good at its last full inspection on 23 January 2024.

How many pupils does Keeble Gateway Academy have?

204 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 236 places, so it is 86% full.

Is Keeble Gateway Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 55 places were empty in 2024/25 (26% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Keeble Gateway Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 15% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Keeble Gateway Academy?

The average class had 26.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Inspiration Way, Sowerby, Thirsk, YO7 1TS
Telephone
01845 448227
Website
www.keeblegatewayacademy.org
Headteacher
Mr Jonathan Davies
Type of school
Free school (Free schools, free schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
Elevate Multi Academy Trust (18 schools)
Local authority
North Yorkshire
Ward
Sowerby & Topcliffe
Constituency
Thirsk and Malton
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
2 September 2019 (new provision)
URN
147192 · LAESTAB 8152012 · UKPRN 10083750

Where these figures come from