Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Sutton upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a small, happy and inclusive school at the heart of its community. Safeguarding standards are met, pupils are polite and respectful, attendance is in line with national averages, and persistent absence is low. The early years provision is effective, personal development is strong, and pupils benefit from a wide range of enriching experiences, including trips, clubs and community events. Parents are very positive about the care and support their children receive. However, the school's achievement, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance are judged to need attention. Some pupils have gaps in reading, writing and basic skills, and the quality of teaching is too variable. Assessment is not consistently used to identify and address gaps, so some pupils—particularly those with SEND—do not make as much progress as they should. Writing has been identified as a priority, and the new phonics programme needs time to embed. Leaders have suitable priorities but their improvement plans are not precise or measurable enough, and they do not check impact closely enough. Staff training does not focus sharply enough on assessment and essential writing and number skills. The next steps focus on strengthening quality assurance, embedding assessment, securing essential knowledge and skills, and adapting learning to pupils' starting points, especially for those with SEND.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
• Pupils are happy, respectful and feel safe in a calm and inclusive school.
• Attendance is in line with national averages and persistent absence is low.
• Early years children have their needs met well, with strong foundations in communication and handwriting.
• The school has an inclusive culture where every pupil belongs and staff know pupils well.
• Personal development is a strength, with rich experiences, trips, clubs and community links.
• Pupils demonstrate mature attitudes to equality and relationships, and discriminatory comments are rare.
• Leaders and governors ensure additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent carefully.
• Staff feel well supported, and leaders attend to their wellbeing and workload.
• Parents are very positive about the school and the care their children receive.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have gaps in reading, writing and basic skills that impact their outcomes.
• Writing is an area for improvement; previous teaching weaknesses have left gaps.
• Assessment is not consistently identifying gaps in learning, so some pupils make slower progress.
• Teaching quality is variable, especially in securing essential knowledge and skills.
• Some pupils with SEND do not receive precise support, and work does not always match their starting points.
• Leaders' improvement plans are not precise or measurable enough, and impact is not checked closely.
• Professional development does not focus closely enough on assessment and essential writing and number skills.
• Across subjects, teachers do not take enough action to address gaps in core reading, writing and number skills.
• Some learning does not match pupils' starting points well, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils' work quality varies too much in core subject areas.

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 Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary 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 Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School had 21.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 45.9% 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, 17.5% of pupils at Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School received £7,518 and spent £7,532 for each of its 99 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £100,000 (£1,010 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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All schools in York (East Riding Of Yorkshire) · East Riding of Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have?

Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 103 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School cover?

Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 25% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?

Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is at Main Street, Sutton-on-Derwent, York, North Yorkshire, YO41 4BN.