School Chooser

Spennithorne Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 4-7MixedChurch of England54 pupilsLeyburnNorth Yorkshire
School Chooser Score
95
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 85 to 99
Out of 100. Better than 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, October 2022
Attendance94.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families0%Far fewer than most schools
Places29 spare54 pupils, 83 places
Pupils per teacher28.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll54Census January 2026

Spennithorne Church of England Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Leyburn for boys and girls aged 4 to 7. It has 54 pupils and room for 83. About 0 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 95 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Spennithorne, Leyburn, DL8 5PR01969 623474fed-mas.n-yorks.sch.ukMrs Helen Dudman headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 October 2022, 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

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

4 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017North YorkshireEngland
Pupils tested454925
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths56%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0105.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score98.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0104.5105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard67%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard56%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)78%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-6.3

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places42 pupils for 83 places, 2024/25
51% full

41 places were empty (49% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 27% 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 roll54Census January 2026
Places8365% full
Pupils from low-income families0%0% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support7%4 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size25.34 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)0%£0 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls28 / 26
White British pupils87%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (3), Other difficulty or disability (1), language and communications needs (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll544438323328
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%0%3%3%4%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%5%0%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support5%5%9%9%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%0%0%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school3.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.1%2.8%5.1%14.9%4.1%4.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.7%2.4%4.8%14.2%3.8%4.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%0.4%0.3%0.7%0.3%0.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence3.7%0.0%12.1%62.7%41.9%13.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.02.60.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff

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

Teachers1.9full-time equivalent, 3 people
Pupils per teacher28.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants1.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£44,604
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.22024/25

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate35 per 1,000 people62% lower than the England average
Nearest bus stop20 mPrimary School, 2 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
Middleham Church of England Aided SchoolChurch of England1.2 miles47Good 202278Compare
Leyburn Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles200Good 202267Compare
Hunton and Arrathorne Community Primary SchoolCouncil3.8 miles86Good 202317Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Spennithorne Church of England Primary School with the 43 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 43 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats100%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 95 is 34 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 61 · highest 94100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 95 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 95% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 85 to 99. 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 inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.02
Ofsted grade, 3.9 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.70
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.19
2024/25; 27 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 Spennithorne Church of England Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Spennithorne Church of England Primary School scores 95 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 85 to 99, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Spennithorne Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Spennithorne Church of England Primary School good at its last full inspection on 5 October 2022.

How many pupils does Spennithorne Church of England Primary School have?

54 pupils aged 4 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 83 places, so it is 65% full.

Is Spennithorne Church of England Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 41 places were empty in 2024/25 (49% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Spennithorne Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 94.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 4% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Spennithorne Church of England Primary School?

The average class had 25.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
Spennithorne, Leyburn, DL8 5PR
Telephone
01969 623474
Website
fed-mas.n-yorks.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Helen Dudman
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-7
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Leeds (ce)
Local authority
North Yorkshire
Ward
Scotton & Lower Wensleydale
Constituency
Richmond and Northallerton
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
121517 · LAESTAB 8153110 · UKPRN 10079209

Where these figures come from