Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School

Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School is a highly nurturing school where pupils feel safe, happy and valued. The early years provision and reading are particular strengths: children get off to a strong start, staff teach phonics expertly, and pupils behave well and treat others with kindness and respect. Personal development is also strong, with clubs, visits, sensory areas and quiet spaces helping pupils to develop and regulate their feelings. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are included in the school community. However, the quality of education and leadership and management require improvement. Although the school has raised the ambition of its curriculum, in several subjects the essential knowledge and skills are not clearly sequenced, especially in key stage 1. Staff are sometimes unsure what to teach and what to check, and assessment is often ineffective, so misconceptions and gaps in learning are not addressed well. Some pupils with SEND do not receive precise enough support because staff are not always given the information they need. As a result, pupils are not prepared well enough for Year 3. Leaders have not effectively evaluated the impact of their changes or ensured that policies and improvement strategies are implemented consistently. Governors are supportive and aware of their duties, but the rigour of their challenge varies. Staff workload and well-being are well managed, and the school's caring ethos is clear, but the weaknesses in curriculum implementation and leadership mean the overall quality of education is not yet good enough.

Strengths

• Highly nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and belong
• Early years provision is thoughtfully designed and prepares children well for Year 1
• Reading is a priority, with expert phonics teaching and timely support
• Pupils behave well and treat others with kindness and respect
• Personal development is supported through clubs, visits, sensory areas and quiet spaces
• Pupils with SEND are included and valued as part of the school community
• Staff workload and well-being are well managed
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum in some subjects is not broken down into clearly sequenced steps, especially in key stage 1
• Assessment is often ineffective and staff do not consistently check what pupils know and can do
• Some pupils with SEND do not receive precise support because staff lack the information they need
• Leaders do not effectively evaluate the impact of changes or ensure policies and improvement strategies are implemented
• Governors' challenge to leaders is variable
• Pupils are not prepared well enough for Year 3

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.5% of pupils at Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School had 22.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 10.6% of pupils at Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School received £7,416 and spent £7,459 for each of its 229 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £10,000 (-£44 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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• Secondary Schools

All schools in York (East Riding Of Yorkshire) · East Riding of Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School have?

Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School has 245 pupils on roll.

What age range does Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School cover?

Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School?

Pocklington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School is at Maxwell Road, York, East Yorkshire, YO42 2HE.