Romanby Primary School

Romanby Primary School is a welcoming, caring primary where pupils are happy, feel safe and value the strong sense of community. Inspectors found high expectations for behaviour and learning, polite and considerate pupils, and a broad curriculum that builds learning step by step from early years to Year 6. The school has acted decisively on previous lower key stage 2 outcomes by revising English and mathematics, leading to marked improvements in achievement. Effective support for pupils with SEND, a developing reading culture and a rich early years provision are notable strengths. Pupils benefit from strong personal development opportunities, including leadership roles, lunchtime clubs, community projects and work on diversity. Governance is effective, staff workloads are managed well, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and, under the current inspection arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade was given. The main areas for improvement are in phonics and mathematics. Some pupils are given phonics lessons that do not match their starting points, so weaker readers do not catch up as quickly as they could. In mathematics, modelling is not consistently clear, which sometimes leaves pupils unsure how to complete tasks independently.

Strengths

• Welcoming, caring community with strong relationships and pupil confidence in adults
• High expectations for behaviour and learning, with polite and considerate pupils
• Broad and balanced curriculum sequenced from early years to Year 6
• Effective identification of SEND and useful adaptations such as pre-teaching and hands-on activities
• Marked improvements in achievement after revising English and mathematics
• Strong reading culture with daily reading for pleasure, class novels and drama
• Consistent daily phonics programme with extra practice for pupils needing support
• Rich, play-filled early years environment with tailored support and independent resource use
• Pupils develop responsibility through clubs, leadership roles, community projects and diversity learning
• Effective governance, sensible workload management and well-supported staff
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• Some phonics lessons are not matched to pupils’ starting points, so weaker readers do not catch up quickly
• Some pupils with weaker phonics knowledge are expected to learn the same sounds as classmates and struggle to keep up
• Modelling of mathematical processes is not consistently clear, leaving some pupils unsure when working independently

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 Romanby Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Romanby 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 Romanby Primary School had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.2% 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, 17.3% of pupils at Romanby Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Romanby Primary School received £6,736 and spent £7,027 for each of its 237 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £41,000 (£174 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Northallerton · North Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

What is Romanby Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Romanby Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Romanby Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Romanby Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Romanby Primary School have?

Romanby Primary School has 237 pupils on roll.

What age range does Romanby Primary School cover?

Romanby Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Romanby Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Romanby Primary School?

Romanby Primary School is at The Close, Romanby, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8BL.