Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School

Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School is performing strongly in most areas, with safeguarding standards met. Inspectors found strong standards in attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils enjoy school, attendance is high and improving, behaviour is excellent, and the school has a highly inclusive, nurturing culture that supports pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils well. The curriculum is expertly planned for mixed-age teaching, and children in the early years get off to a strong start. The main area for development is achievement, which is at the expected standard rather than the strong standard seen elsewhere. Pupils achieve particularly well in reading and writing, but mathematics has historically been weaker, with published outcomes below the national average. Leaders have responded by changing the mathematics curriculum to focus more on problem solving and reasoning, and pupils' work and recall show improvement, but the full impact is not yet reflected in published results. The school is a small Church of England school with 46 pupils, part of St Hilda's Moorland Federation, and the headteacher also has responsibility for one other school.

Strengths

• High and improving attendance, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Excellent behaviour and respectful relationships across the school
• Expertly planned curriculum adapted effectively for mixed-age classes
• Highly effective teaching that checks understanding and addresses misconceptions quickly
• Forensic progress tracking and effective catch-up support for gaps in foundational skills
• Strong early years provision with consistent phonics and a sharp focus on vocabulary and language
• Highly inclusive culture with accurate identification and tailored support for pupils with SEND
• Effective support for disadvantaged pupils, who thrive at the school
• Strong leadership and governance with clear strategic oversight and statutory compliance
• High-quality professional development and consideration of staff workload and wellbeing
• Well-designed personal development programme tailored to the school and local context
• Strong pastoral support and full inclusion of pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils in wider school life
• Pupils achieve well in reading and writing, especially in end of key stage 2 assessments
• Children are very well prepared for Year 1, and pupils are well prepared for their next steps
• Positive parental engagement and strong links with the local community

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' mathematics achievement has historically lagged behind their reading and writing
• Published mathematics outcomes remain below the national average
• The full impact of recent mathematics curriculum changes is not yet visible in outcomes

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 Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.2% 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 Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 15.9% of pupils at Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School received £10,771 and spent £10,865 for each of its 86 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £104,000 (£1,206 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). This school files a single return with the other schools in its federation, so the figures are for the whole federation.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

What is Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School last inspected by Ofsted?

Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School have?

Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School has 44 pupils on roll.

What age range does Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School cover?

Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School?

Danby Church of England Voluntary Aided School is at Ainthorpe Lane, Danby, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO21 2NG.