Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy

Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy is a warm, inclusive school that has improved markedly after significant past challenges. Pupils feel safe and welcome, behaviour is calm and orderly, and attendance is high and continuing to improve. The school serves a highly disadvantaged community, with well-above-average free school meals and above-average SEN support, and leaders are sharply focused on removing barriers for vulnerable pupils. Provision for inclusion, attendance and behaviour is a particular strength, and disadvantaged pupils achieve well, with outcomes in English and mathematics consistently above national averages. The school is part of the David Ross Education Trust, and leaders and trustees have a clear, evidence-based understanding of the school’s context. Governance is effective, staff feel well supported, and engagement with parents and the community is now a notable strength. Safeguarding standards are met. Pastoral support, including The Nest, helps vulnerable pupils attend, settle and participate, while a coherent personal development programme and wider experiences broaden pupils’ horizons. There are still areas to develop. Early years curriculum implementation does not consistently give children enough opportunities to practise and consolidate learning independently, and assessment in the wider curriculum is not used well enough to adapt teaching. As a result, some wider curriculum tasks are over-structured and do not deepen pupils’ thinking or help them remember important knowledge securely. Pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values and world faiths is also less secure in depth.

Strengths

• High and improving attendance, with persistent absence reducing
• Calm, orderly behaviour and well-established routines across the school
• Strong inclusive practice for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and vulnerable pupils
• Effective pastoral support, including The Nest nurture provision
• Outcomes in English and mathematics consistently above national averages
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve at least as well as their peers and often above national averages
• Phonics is taught consistently and with fidelity
• Early years prioritises language development and works well with parents
• Leadership and governance have driven marked improvements and meet statutory duties
• Staff feel well supported through coherent professional development and sensible workload decisions
• Parent and community engagement is a notable strength
• Personal development and wider experiences are well planned and inclusive

Areas for Improvement

• Early years curriculum implementation does not consistently allow children to practise and consolidate knowledge independently
• Assessment in the wider curriculum is not used consistently to adapt teaching
• Some wider curriculum tasks are over-structured and limit pupils’ independence and flair
• Wider curriculum teaching does not always deepen pupils’ thinking or help them remember important knowledge
• Pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values and world faiths is less secure in depth

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 Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.5% 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 Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy 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 Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy had 15.7 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, 20.6% of pupils at Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.6% 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 Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy received £7,961 and spent £9,102 for each of its 162 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £111,000 (-£686 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of The David Ross Education Trust, income was £8,189 and spending £8,020 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 Scarborough · North Yorkshire local authority: places and applications

Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy is part of The David Ross Education Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Quay Academy Bridlington
• Endike Academy Hull
• Wold Academy Hull
• Ainthorpe Primary School Hull
• Edward Heneage Primary Academy Grimsby
• Havelock Academy Grimsby
• Fairfield Academy Grimsby
• Humberston Academy Grimsby
• Hogsthorpe Primary Academy Skegness
• King Edward VI Academy Spilsby

What is Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy have?

Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy has 180 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy cover?

Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy?

Thomas Hinderwell Primary Academy is at Seamer Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 4HF.