Great Smeaton Academy Primary School

Great Smeaton Academy Primary School continues to uphold the standards established during its previous inspection, demonstrating effective action in maintaining quality education under the leadership of interim executive headteacher Rebecca Wallace. The school fosters a caring and supportive environment that encourages pupils of all ages to collaborate, learn, and thrive together. With a strong emphasis on achievement and respect within the community, pupils express pride in their accomplishments and engage positively with various wider enrichment opportunities provided by the school. This inspection marks the first routine evaluation since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, underlining the school's adaptability and resilience in the current educational climate.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and well cared for.
• The curriculum is well-matched to mixed-age classes.
• Strong focus on supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Pupils demonstrate good manners, respect, and kindness towards each other.
• Effective wider development programmes foster understanding of British values.
• Parents and carers express high levels of satisfaction regarding the school's impact.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in addressing handwriting errors among pupils.
• Recent changes in the writing curriculum have led to unclear progression in writing skills.

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 Great Smeaton Academy Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.3% 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 Great Smeaton Academy 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 Great Smeaton Academy Primary School had 7.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.3% 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, 41.7% of pupils at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% 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 2024–25 Great Smeaton Academy Primary School received £13,632 and spent £13,726 for each of its 29 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £36,000 (£1,229 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Dales Academies Trust, income was £7,522 and spending £7,432 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Great Smeaton Academy Primary School is part of Dales Academies Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• East Cowton Church of England Primary School Northallerton
• Croft Church of England Primary School Darlington
• Oakbridge Church of England Primary School Northallerton
• Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary School Richmond
• Ainderby Steeple Church of England Primary School Northallerton
• Barton Church of England Primary School Richmond
• All Saints Church of England Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Thornaby Church of England Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• South Otterington Church of England Primary School Northallerton

What is Great Smeaton Academy Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Smeaton Academy Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Great Smeaton Academy Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Smeaton Academy Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Great Smeaton Academy Primary School have?

Great Smeaton Academy Primary School has 24 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Smeaton Academy Primary School cover?

Great Smeaton Academy Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?

Great Smeaton Academy Primary School is at Great Smeaton, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 2EQ.