Pickhill Church of England Primary School
Pickhill Church of England Primary School is a voluntary controlled school in Thirsk for pupils aged 2 to 11. It has a Church of England religious character. It has 60 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Pickhill Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.
Ofsted inspection: December 2023.
| Type | Primary / Voluntary controlled school |
| Age Range | 2-11 |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | The Green Pickhill Thirsk North Yorkshire YO7 4JL |
| Phone | 01845567339 |
| Reference Number | 121510 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 60 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 43.33%
Girls: 56.67% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 13.3% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 0% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 20 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 30 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 3 | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 98.3% |
| Asian, Other | 1.7% |
Pickhill Church of England Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school since its last inspection in 2014. The school is characterized by a nurturing environment where pupils thrive and are encouraged to be curious and respectful members of the community. Notable strengths include effective support for pupils with special educational needs and a strong reading curriculum that fosters a love of reading among students. The school’s well-structured curriculum prepares students for their next stages of learning and promotes positive behavior and citizenship skills.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 10 Nov 2023 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 10 Nov 2023 | School inspection |
| 10 Jul 2018 | Short inspection |
| 10 Sep 2014 | Full inspection: |
| 14 May 2013 | Monitoring visit |
| 29 Jan 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 24 Oct 2012 | Monitoring visit |
| 28 Jun 2012 | Monitoring visit |
| 23 Feb 2012 | Monitoring visit |
| 29 Nov 2011 | Monitoring visit |
| 20 Jun 2011 | Full inspection: |
| 10 Jan 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 08 Mar 2004 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Nurturing and caring school environment
- High ambitions for all pupils, including those with SEND
- Strong reading curriculum promoting fluency and comprehension
- Excellent relationships between staff and pupils
- Effective leadership and governance support
- Positive behavior and high levels of respect among pupils
- Diverse opportunities for pupil leadership and citizenship development
Areas for Improvement
- Occasional lack of clarity in teachers regarding pupils' prior knowledge, leading to mismatched tasks
Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 4 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 1 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Pickhill Church of England Primary School had 48 pupils for 63 places. 15 places (23.8%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Thirsk Outer Area Primary” planning area
North Yorkshire counted 86 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 96 in 2029–30, up 12%.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 |
| Pupils | 28 | 34 | 34 | 29 | 24 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 38 | 35 | 35 | 41 | 46 | 47 | 48 |
| Unfilled | 55.6% | 46.0% | 46.0% | 54.0% | 61.9% | 49.2% | 50.8% | 52.4% | 39.7% | 44.4% | 44.4% | 34.9% | 27.0% | 25.4% | 23.8% |
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 Pickhill Church of England Primary School attended 97.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 2.0% | 2.8% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1.5% | 5.8% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 2.0% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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 Pickhill Church of England Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Pickhill Church of England Primary School had 21.9 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
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 10.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.1 | 15.0 | 15.5 | 10.1 | 11.6 | 18.6 | 13.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 7.2 | 10.1 | 7.8 | 8.2 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 0.0% | 23.1% | 23.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 34.5% | 57.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 9.8% | 47.6% | 0.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | – | 80.0% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sick days per teacher | – | 45.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
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, 15.0% of pupils at Pickhill Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Social, emotional and mental health | 3 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 2 | 1 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 2 | 0 |
| Hearing impairment | 1 | 0 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 1 | 0 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 0 | 1 |
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 2019–20 Pickhill Church of England Primary School received £7,827 and spent £7,894 for each of its 36 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £8,000 (£220 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £10,000 | £8,000 |
| per pupil | £296 | £220 |
| In-year balance | £17,000 | -£2,000 |
| per pupil | £493 | -£67 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).
| Name | Distance |
|
Burneston Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Burneston, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8 2HX |
2.7 miles |
|
South Otterington Church of England Primary School
South Otterington, South Otterington C of E Primary School, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HD |
2.93 miles |
|
Carlton Miniott Primary Academy
Carlton Miniott, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4NJ |
3.39 miles |
|
Leeming RAF Community Primary School
Gatenby, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9NQ |
3.65 miles |
|
Alanbrooke Academy
Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcliffe, Alanbrooke Barracks, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3SF |
4.05 miles |
|
South Kilvington Church of England Academy
Stockton Road, South Kilvington, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 2LR |
4.84 miles |
|
Snape Community Primary School
INGS LANE, SNAPE, BEDALE, NORTH YORKSHIRE, DL8 2TF |
4.88 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Breckenbrough School
Sandhutton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4EN |
2.36 miles |
|
Darwin School
Baldersby St James, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4PT |
4.25 miles |
All schools in Thirsk · North Yorkshire local authority: places and applications
What is Pickhill Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Pickhill Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.
When was Pickhill Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
Pickhill Church of England Primary School was last inspected in December 2023.
How many pupils does Pickhill Church of England Primary School have?
Pickhill Church of England Primary School has 60 pupils on roll.
What age range does Pickhill Church of England Primary School cover?
Pickhill Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.
Where is Pickhill Church of England Primary School?
Pickhill Church of England Primary School is at The Green, Pickhill, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4JL.