Dunnington Church of England Primary School

Dunnington Church of England Primary School is a small Church of England primary school within the Yorkshire Learning Trust. Inspectors found it performing well overall: pupils achieve highly by the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics, behave well, attend regularly and benefit from a broad, ambitious curriculum. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school’s inclusive, caring culture is a clear strength, with warm relationships and strong support for pupils’ wellbeing. Achievement was judged strong, with pupils producing high-quality work across the curriculum, reading prioritised and effective phonics, and secure teaching in English and mathematics. Early years, curriculum and teaching, attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development all met expected standards. Leaders know the school well, staff feel supported, and governors and trust leaders provide effective support. The main areas for improvement are the consistency of SEND provision, attendance for pupils with SEND or other barriers, and pupils’ depth of knowledge of different faiths, cultures and fundamental British values. Recent inclusion changes are still becoming embedded, and leaders need to ensure agreed strategies are used consistently and barriers are addressed swiftly.

Strengths

• Pupils attain highly in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.
• Pupils produce high-quality work across the curriculum and retain knowledge well.
• Reading is prioritised, with systematic phonics and effective additional practice.
• Pupils behave well, lessons are calm and relationships are respectful.
• Overall attendance is high and persistent absence is low.
• The school has a welcoming, inclusive culture where pupils feel safe and valued.
• Children in Reception settle well and benefit from strong communication and language support.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with clear end goals in English and mathematics.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and explain new ideas clearly.
• Leaders provide effective support for staff workload and wellbeing.
• Governors and trust leaders understand the school and provide effective support.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities and educational visits.
• The outdoor play programme supports cooperation, imagination and physical activity.
• Staff provide sensitive pastoral support for pupils’ emotional wellbeing.

Areas for Improvement

• SEND provision is not yet consistently embedded across classrooms.
• Staff do not always use agreed inclusion strategies consistently or respond swiftly enough when barriers arise.
• Attendance of some pupils with SEND and those facing other barriers remains lower than their peers.
• Leaders need to evaluate more closely whether actions to improve attendance for these groups are working.
• Pupils’ knowledge of different faiths, cultures and fundamental British values varies in depth and precision.

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 Dunnington Church of England Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.6% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Dunnington Church of England 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 Dunnington Church of England Primary School had 24.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.5% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Dunnington Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% 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 Dunnington Church of England Primary School received £6,684 and spent £6,686 for each of its 181 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £83,000 (-£458 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of Yorkshire Learning Trust, income was £6,882 and spending £6,872 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 York · York local authority: places and applications

Dunnington Church of England Primary School is part of Yorkshire Learning Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Fulford School York
• Wheldrake with Thorganby Church of England Primary School York
• Bishopthorpe Infant School York
• Archbishop of York's CofE Junior School, Bishopthorpe York
• Escrick Church of England Primary School York
• Appleton Roebuck Primary School York
• Riverside School, Tadcaster Tadcaster
• Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School Tadcaster
• Brayton Church of England Primary School Selby
• Tadcaster Grammar School Tadcaster

What is Dunnington Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dunnington Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Dunnington Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dunnington Church of England Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Dunnington Church of England Primary School have?

Dunnington Church of England Primary School has 170 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dunnington Church of England Primary School cover?

Dunnington Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Dunnington Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dunnington Church of England Primary School?

Dunnington Church of England Primary School is at Pear Tree Lane, Dunnington, York, North Yorkshire, YO19 5QG.