Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School
Thornton Watlass, Ripon, HG4 4AH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jane Wood
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Federation
- The Federation of Snape Community and Thornton Watlass CE Primary Scho
- Constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 57
- Pupils on roll
- 13
- URN
- 121521
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01677422685
About this school
Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Ripon. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 13 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Thornton Watlass 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- 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 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 50% | 50% | 33% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 83% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 83% | 56% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 67% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 108.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 101.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | 0.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.90 | - | - |
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 Thornton Watlass 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 | 50% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 33% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 23 |
| 2023/24 | 24 |
| 2024/25 | 21 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School compares
Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School ranked 218th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 8% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 33% | 4.7% | 9.5% | 13 | — |
| Snape Community Primary School | — | 4.7% | 10% | 34 | 2.3 miles |
| Bedale Church of England Primary School | 77% | 3.8% | 16.6% | 316 | 2.5 miles |
| Crakehall Church of England Primary School | 75% | 3.7% | 6.4% | 121 | 2.9 miles |
| Masham CofE Primary School | — | — | — | — | 2.9 miles |
| Leeming St. John's Church of England Primary School | 67% | 4.7% | 25% | 57 | 4.3 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
- 7 March 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report27 November 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 9.52%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.67%
- Persistent absence
- 10.2%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Snape Community Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Bedale
-
Bedale Church of England Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Bedale
-
Crakehall Church of England Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Bedale
-
Masham CofE Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Ripon
-
Leeming St. John's Church of England Primary School4.3 miles
Primary · Northallerton
Other schools in Ripon
Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School ranks 9th of the 11 ranked primary schools in Ripon.
- Fountains Church of England Primary School Primary
- Grewelthorpe Church of England Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School Primary
- Kirkby Malzeard Church of England Primary School Primary
- Masham CofE Primary School Primary
- Moorside Primary School & Nursery Primary
- North Stainley Church of England Primary School Primary
- Outwood Primary Academy Greystone Primary
- Ripon Cathedral Church of England Primary School Primary
- Sharow Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, West Tanfield Primary
- St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School teach?
- Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Ripon.
- Who is the headteacher of Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School is Mrs Jane Wood, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thornton Watlass 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 Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School?
- Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School has 13 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School full?
- Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School has capacity for 57 pupils and 13 on roll (23%), 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 Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Leeds (ce).
- Does Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School is part of the The Federation of Snape Community and Thornton Watlass CE Primary Scho federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Thornton Watlass 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 50% in 2022/23 and 33% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in North Yorkshire?
- Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School ranked 218th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 8% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thornton Watlass 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.