Bedale Church of England Primary School
Firby Road, Bedale, DL8 2AT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Elizabeth Turnbull
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 316
- URN
- 121479
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01677422401
About this school
Bedale Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Bedale. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 316 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bedale Church of England Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 November 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 57 | 41 | 56 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 77% | 80% | 77% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 84% | 88% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 83% | 84% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 83% | 79% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Bedale Church of England Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | North Yorkshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 77% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 77% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 334 |
| 2023/24 | 307 |
| 2024/25 | 308 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bedale Church of England Primary School compares
Bedale Church of England Primary School ranked 41st of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 77% | 3.8% | 16.6% | 316 | — |
| Leeming St. John's Church of England Primary School | 67% | 4.7% | 25% | 57 | 1.8 miles |
| Crakehall Church of England Primary School | 75% | 3.7% | 6.4% | 121 | 2.0 miles |
| Snape Community Primary School | — | 4.7% | 10% | 34 | 2.2 miles |
| Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School | 33% | 4.7% | 9.5% | 13 | 2.5 miles |
| Burneston Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 56% | 3.2% | 8% | 119 | 3.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 16.56%
- English as an additional language
- 2.9%
- Overall absence
- 3.81%
- Persistent absence
- 7.69%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Leeming St. John's Church of England Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Northallerton
-
Crakehall Church of England Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Bedale
-
Snape Community Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Bedale
-
Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Ripon
-
Burneston Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Bedale
Other schools in Bedale
- Burneston Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Crakehall Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hunton and Arrathorne Community Primary School Primary
- Snape Community Primary School Primary
- Bedale High School Secondary
- Mowbray Academy Academies
- Aysgarth School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Bedale Church of England Primary School teach?
- Bedale Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedale.
- Who is the headteacher of Bedale Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bedale Church of England Primary School is Mrs Elizabeth Turnbull, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bedale Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bedale Church of England Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Bedale Church of England Primary School?
- Bedale Church of England Primary School has 316 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Bedale Church of England Primary School full?
- Bedale Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 316 on roll (75%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bedale Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Bedale Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does Bedale Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bedale Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bedale Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 77% in 2022/23 and 77% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bedale Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in North Yorkshire?
- Bedale Church of England Primary School ranked 41st of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bedale Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Bedale Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bedale Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bedale Church of England Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.