Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Main Street, Foston, York, YO60 7QB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Moore
- Diocese
- Diocese of York
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Federation
- North Yorkshire Rural Schools Federation
- Constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 60
- Pupils on roll
- 58
- URN
- 121492
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01653618265
About this school
Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in York. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 58 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | - | 43% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 50% | - | 57% |
| Expected standard in maths | 70% | - | 57% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 50% | - | 57% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | - | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | - | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.20 | - | - |
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 Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 | 50% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | — | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 43% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 67 |
| 2023/24 | 65 |
| 2024/25 | 62 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 195th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 14% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43% | 4% | 15.5% | 58 | — |
| Sheriff Hutton Primary School | 62% | 5.5% | 14.9% | 89 | 2.5 miles |
| Welburn Community Primary School | — | 4.7% | 17.4% | 47 | 2.7 miles |
| Terrington Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | — | 4.6% | 34.8% | 28 | 3.7 miles |
| Sand Hutton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 55% | 3.8% | 10.2% | 49 | 4.1 miles |
| Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy | 63% | 3.7% | 10.4% | 496 | 4.6 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 15.52%
- English as an additional language
- 1.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.01%
- Persistent absence
- 8.33%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sheriff Hutton Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · York
-
Welburn Community Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · York
-
Terrington Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · York
- 4.1 miles
-
Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy4.6 miles
Primary · York
Other schools in York
Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranks 83rd of the 93 ranked primary schools in York.
- Acomb Primary School Primary
- Appleton Roebuck Primary School Primary
- Archbishop of York's CofE Junior School, Bishopthorpe Primary
- Badger Hill Primary Academy Primary
- Barlby Bridge Community Primary School Primary
- Barmby Moor Church of England Primary School Primary
- Bishop Wilton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Bishopthorpe Infant School Primary
- Boroughbridge Primary School Primary
- Bugthorpe Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Burton Green Primary School Primary
- Carr Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in York.
- Who is the headteacher of Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Sarah Moore, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 58 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 60 pupils and 58 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of York.
- Does Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is part of the North Yorkshire Rural Schools Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 50% in 2022/23 and 43% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in North Yorkshire?
- Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 195th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 14% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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.