The Rydal Academy
Rydal Road, Darlington, DL1 4BH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- NORTHERN ARCH LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr John Armitage
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Swift Academies
- Constituency
- Darlington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 584
- URN
- 138989
- Local authority
- Darlington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01325380784
About this school
The Rydal Academy is a primary academy in Darlington. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 584 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
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 | 87 | 82 | 82 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 38% | 33% | 46% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 1% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 54% | 62% |
| Expected standard in maths | 57% | 41% | 60% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 60% | 56% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 99.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.30 | - | - |
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 The Rydal Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Darlington average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 38% | 55.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 33% | 56% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 46% | 59.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 619 |
| 2023/24 | 617 |
| 2024/25 | 621 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Rydal Academy compares
The Rydal Academy ranked 25th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 17% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46% | 7.8% | 52.3% | 584 | — |
| St John's Church of England Academy | 70% | 4.6% | 44.1% | 249 | 0.3 miles |
| St Teresa's Catholic Primary School | 85% | 11.3% | 15.7% | 342 | 0.5 miles |
| Skerne Park Academy | 35% | 8.5% | 60.6% | 248 | 0.6 miles |
| Firthmoor Primary School | 62% | 5.7% | 54.4% | 279 | 0.7 miles |
| Heathfield Primary School | 68% | 5.7% | 30.7% | 439 | 0.8 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
- 6 December 2022
-
Ungraded inspection report5 December 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 52.28%
- English as an additional language
- 11.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.75%
- Persistent absence
- 25.51%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St John's Church of England Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Skerne Park Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Firthmoor Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Heathfield Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Darlington
Other schools in Darlington
The Rydal Academy ranks 26th of the 29 ranked primary schools in Darlington.
- Abbey Infants' School Primary
- Abbey Junior School Primary
- Corporation Road Community Primary School Primary
- Croft Church of England Primary School Primary
- Firthmoor Primary School Primary
- Gainford Church of England Primary School and Preschool Primary
- Gurney Pease Academy Primary
- Harrowgate Hill Primary School Primary
- Heathfield Primary School Primary
- High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Hurworth Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does The Rydal Academy teach?
- The Rydal Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Darlington.
- Who is the headteacher of The Rydal Academy?
- The headteacher of The Rydal Academy is Mr John Armitage, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Rydal Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Rydal Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is The Rydal Academy?
- The Rydal Academy has 584 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is The Rydal Academy full?
- The Rydal Academy has capacity for 630 pupils and 584 on roll (93%), 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 The Rydal Academy a faith school?
- No. The Rydal Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is The Rydal Academy a selective school?
- No. The Rydal Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does The Rydal Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Rydal Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs The Rydal Academy?
- The Rydal Academy is part of NORTHERN ARCH LEARNING PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Rydal Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 38% in 2022/23 and 46% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Rydal Academy rank locally?
- The Rydal Academy ranked 25th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 17% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Rydal Academy's absence rate?
- The Rydal Academy's overall absence rate is 7.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Rydal Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Rydal Academy'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 1 July 2026.