St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy
Tentergate Road, Knaresborough, HG5 9BG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE BISHOP WHEELER CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Helen Tomlinson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (rc)
- Sponsor
- The Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Harrogate and Knaresborough
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 193
- URN
- 142176
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01423864631
About this school
St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Knaresborough. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 193 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. 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
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 30 | 26 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 58% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 4% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 60% | 65% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 57% | 65% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 60% | 58% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.00 | - | - |
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 St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic 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 | North Yorkshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 48% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 189 |
| 2023/24 | 186 |
| 2024/25 | 194 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy compares
St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy ranked 86th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 4.2% | 18% | 193 | — |
| Knaresborough St John's Church of England Primary School | 71% | 4.7% | 24.6% | 289 | 0.4 miles |
| Meadowside Academy | 68% | 5.8% | 25.9% | 206 | 0.5 miles |
| Aspin Park Academy | 66% | 4.4% | 8% | 416 | 1.0 miles |
| Starbeck Primary Academy | 31% | 6.1% | 31.5% | 234 | 1.3 miles |
| Hookstone Chase Primary School | 42% | 4.7% | 19.2% | 289 | 1.7 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
-
Ungraded inspection report19 March 2025
- 12 November 2019
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.04%
- English as an additional language
- 19.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.17%
- Persistent absence
- 9.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Knaresborough St John's Church of England Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Knaresborough
-
Meadowside Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Knaresborough
-
Aspin Park Academy1.0 miles
Primary · Knaresborough
-
Starbeck Primary Academy1.3 miles
Primary · Harrogate
-
Hookstone Chase Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Harrogate
Other schools in Knaresborough
St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy ranks 4th of the 7 ranked primary schools in Knaresborough.
- Aspin Park Academy Primary
- Goldsborough Church of England Primary School Primary
- Knaresborough St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Meadowside Academy Primary
- Scotton Lingerfield Primary School Primary
- Staveley Community Primary School Primary
- King James's School Secondary
- The Forest School Academies
Common questions
- What year groups does St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy teach?
- St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Knaresborough.
- Who is the executive headteacher of St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy?
- The executive headteacher of St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy is Mrs Helen Tomlinson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic 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 St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy?
- St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy has 193 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy full?
- St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 193 on roll (92%), 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 St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Leeds (rc).
- Does St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy?
- St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy is part of THE BISHOP WHEELER CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 68% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy rank locally?
- St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy ranked 86th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy's absence rate?
- St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic 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 2 July 2026.