Schools & FE · Report card

Thirsk Community Primary School

Inspected 10 Feb 2026 · published 20 Apr 2026 · URN 121365

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Kathryn McDonald (lead), Amy Blackburn

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Needs attention
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Needs attention
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
10 Feb 2026
Inspectors verified
Amy Blackburn, Kathryn McDonald
Postcode verified
YO7 1SL
Name on report verified
Thirsk Community Primary School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
121365

Page 1 of 16

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementNeeds attention
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
Early yearsExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceNeeds attention
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+44Positivemore positive than 18% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositiveambitiousconfidenteffectivelyeffectivesecureconsistentlyfeel safe

Criticismconcernsgapspoorweaknessesnot well preparednot consistentlytoo fewinconsistent

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1587w+47
Leadership255w+64
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve103w0

Strengths

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Concerns

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The inclusive culture of the school ensures that discrimination and other forms of poor behaviour are not tolerated. p.2

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

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Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,990; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 40, typical 43
Average sentence: 14 words
Next steps: 3; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 8%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 54%Leadership 9%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 3%About the inspection 32%

Full report text

Thirsk Community Primary School

Address: Hambleton Place, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 1SL Unique reference number (URN): 121365

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have taken effective action to improve pupils' attendance. Attendance is now slightly above the national averages. Staff work closely with families to understand and address barriers. Leaders' collaboration with external agencies is purposeful. Persistent absence for the majority of disadvantaged pupils has reduced significantly. Leaders continue to secure further improvements for those pupils whose attendance remains lower than it should be.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Across the school, leaders have established a calm, orderly and respectful environment where pupils behave well. The school's values underpin consistent expectations, and staff apply approaches to behaviour with confidence and care. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and engage well in lessons. They contribute thoughtfully to discussions and work purposefully. During social times, behaviour remains calm and respectful. Pupils who require extra support to manage their emotions benefit from well ‑ considered and timely adult support.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Bullying is rare. Pupils understand the difference between falling out and bullying. They are confident that staff act quickly and effectively should concerns arise. The inclusive culture of the school ensures that discrimination and other forms of poor behaviour are not tolerated. Staff know pupils well and provide an environment where all feel supported, valued and safe.

p.2

Early years Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision for the early years. They ensure that children receive a secure education and care from the moment they start school. Staff interactions support children's language and vocabulary development. Staff model rich language throughout the day and use questions effectively to deepen understanding. As a result, children develop confidence in speaking and listening, and build their vocabulary well.

p.2

Early years Expected standard

The early years curriculum identifies the essential knowledge children need to learn. It is designed to address any gaps in children's knowledge with a clear focus on communication and language. Activities are carefully planned to help children revisit and practise important concepts. Children talk confidently about their learning and engage well in structured and exploratory learning.

p.2

Early years Expected standard

Reading is a clear priority. Children in Reception are taught phonics immediately. Staff check children's understanding carefully and quickly address any gaps. Children apply their phonics knowledge with increasing fluency in both reading and writing.

p.2

Early years Expected standard

The proportion of children achieving a good level of development in Reception is the same as children nationally. Children are well prepared for Year 1. They develop independence, early number sense and positive social skills. This enables them to access the next stage of learning confidently. Partnerships with parents are notably positive. Staff and families work closely together to support learning and ensure children settle quickly and feel secure.

p.2

Inclusion Expected standard

This is an inclusive school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those who are disadvantaged and those facing wider vulnerabilities receive effective, well ‑ targeted support. Leaders identify pupils' needs swiftly and accurately. They ensure that staff understand pupils' needs well. Regular training equips staff to implement appropriate strategies. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum alongside their peers. Leaders work closely with external professionals, such as speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. This helps to strengthen assessment and provision.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use their knowledge of pupils' barriers to learning to inform a well ‑ designed pupil premium strategy. This includes effective pastoral support that aids pupils' emotional wellbeing and helps to develop resilience. Such support contributes to pupils engaging successfully in learning. The school's systems used to gather evidence and review targets are thorough. Leaders track academic and developmental progress effectively, particularly in communication and language. They ensure support for pupils is swift and adapted when needed. This helps pupils to progress well from their starting points. Support for pupils known to social care is well developed. The use of alternative provision is appropriate and ensures individual pupils' needs are appropriately met.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal development programme is thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of pupils and considers the context of the local community. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their own beliefs, values and experiences. Pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of right and wrong. Through assemblies, personal, social and health education lessons and carefully planned activities, pupils discuss ethical issues with maturity and sensitivity. They show respect for differing viewpoints.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders prioritise the development of pupils' social skills, cooperation and confidence. Structured leadership opportunities, such as wellbeing warriors, eco champions and junior leadership team, enable pupils to contribute actively to school life and the wider community. These roles help pupils to develop communication, teamwork and responsibility. Fundamental British values are taught through democratic processes, such as pupil applications and interviews for leadership roles, as well as in assemblies in which pupils explore these values.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from a range of creative, artistic and cultural experiences through the school's own 'Thirsk passport' offer. This includes religious education linked visits, singing events and musical tuition. These opportunities deepen pupils' understanding of cultural diversity and broaden their horizons.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school's curriculum for relationships and health education is well structured and age ‑ appropriate. Pupils understand online and offline risks, consent, healthy relationships and personal safety. Leaders ensure that this programme is inclusive for all pupils.

p.3

Needs attention

Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the full personal development and wellbeing offer. Staff make effective adaptations to ensure all pupils participate meaningfully. For example, they adjust the days of clubs to ensure pupils can attend. Work to develop pupils' character, resilience, integrity and sense of belonging is very effective and evident in pupils' positive attitudes, respectful conduct and growing confidence.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

At the end of Year 6, too few pupils gain the knowledge they need in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils' achievement has been significantly below the national average over several years. Consequently, some pupils have not been as well prepared for the demands of secondary school as they should be. Children get of to a secure start in the early years. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development in Reception is the same as children nationally.

p.4

Achievement Needs attention

Some of the actions taken by leaders have had a positive impact for pupils currently at the school. Pupils are building their knowledge in mathematics more securely. Most pupils consistently develop the important knowledge they need in phonics to help them become confident readers. Over the last 3 years, pupils in Year 1 have attained well in the phonics check. That said, pupils have not been consistently well supported to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills they need in handwriting, spelling, punctuation and grammar. This limits the quality of pupils' written work across subjects and how well prepared they are for the next stage of their education.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders’ vision for what pupils learn across the curriculum is not fully realised. Leaders have improved the curriculum design, ensuring the curriculum sets out what pupils should know and when. While the curriculum is ambitious and coherent, leaders recognise that teaching is inconsistent across some subjects. This is particularly the case in writing. Gaps in pupils' handwriting, spelling and punctuation knowledge are not identified and addressed consistently. This hinders pupils' progress, including some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Actions taken by leaders to improve the consistency of teaching in some subjects, including writing, are at an early stage.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

In subjects such as mathematics, teachers use their subject knowledge effectively to ensure that pupils build their knowledge over time. Regular revisiting of prior learning helps pupils secure important understanding. Staff support pupils well to develop the phonics knowledge they need to become fluent readers. Pupils who require extra support receive this in a timely manner. Generally, pupils are supported well to develop their understanding of wider vocabulary.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff provide appropriate support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. The support ensures that pupils access the same curriculum as their peers, but they experience the same inconsistencies in some aspects of teaching.

p.4

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced several changes in leadership, including at governance level. Although some leaders are new to their role, they have been careful to understand the school's context and are taking action to improve aspects of provision. Leaders have a clear strategic vision and have prioritised actions that focus on improving the quality and consistency of education. However, some improvement work has taken longer than expected to embed due to the period of transition.

p.5

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors are dedicated and understand their statutory responsibilities. They share leaders' ambition for the school and are increasingly confident in holding leaders to account. They review key information about the school's performance and ask appropriate questions about the use of resources, including funding for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. While governance is strengthening, governors recognise the need to sharpen their oversight of the impact of leaders' actions to ensure improvements are sustained and timely.

p.5

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and governors make decisions in the best interests of pupils. This includes careful consideration of those who may be disadvantaged or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Safeguarding, inclusion and wellbeing are prioritised.

p.5

Leadership and governance Needs attention

Professional development is thoughtfully planned. Staff, including teachers at the start of their career, benefit from a coherent programme of training that is informed by research and tailored to developing expertise. Leaders are mindful of staff workload and wellbeing. Leaders listen to staff and adapt systems where necessary to reduce unnecessary burdens. Many parents and carers are very positive about the school.

p.5