Knayton Church of England Academy
Stockton Road, Knayton, Thirsk, YO7 4AN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- ELEVATE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Abigail Clay
- Diocese
- Diocese of York
- Sponsor
- Elevate Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 118
- URN
- 144429
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01845537291
About this school
Knayton Church of England Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Thirsk. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 118 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
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- 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 | 22 | 28 | 14 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 61% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 14% | 4% | 21% |
| Expected standard in reading | 73% | 75% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 64% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 59% | 64% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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 Knayton Church of England 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 | 64% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 61% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 146 |
| 2023/24 | 141 |
| 2024/25 | 125 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Knayton Church of England Academy compares
Knayton Church of England Academy ranked 65th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 3.7% | 6.4% | 118 | — |
| South Kilvington Church of England Academy | 92% | 3.8% | 8.5% | 85 | 2.6 miles |
| Thirsk Community Primary School | 30% | 8.1% | 44.6% | 122 | 3.6 miles |
| South Otterington Church of England Primary School | 53% | 3.8% | 8.5% | 109 | 3.7 miles |
| All Saints Catholic Primary School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy | 50% | 3.5% | 21.4% | 94 | 4.3 miles |
| Sowerby Primary Academy | 65% | 4.8% | 21.5% | 279 | 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 February 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report6 October 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 6.4%
- English as an additional language
- 0.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.66%
- Persistent absence
- 4.5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
South Kilvington Church of England Academy2.6 miles
Primary · Thirsk
-
Thirsk Community Primary School3.6 miles
Primary · Thirsk
-
South Otterington Church of England Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Northallerton
-
All Saints Catholic Primary School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy4.3 miles
Primary · Thirsk
-
Sowerby Primary Academy4.3 miles
Primary · Thirsk
Other schools in Thirsk
Knayton Church of England Academy ranks 4th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Thirsk.
- Alanbrooke Academy Primary
- All Saints Catholic Primary School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy Primary
- Carlton Miniott Primary Academy Primary
- Dishforth Airfield Community Primary School Primary
- Dishforth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Keeble Gateway Academy Primary
- Pickhill Church of England Primary School Primary
- Sessay Church of England Primary School Primary
- South Kilvington Church of England Academy Primary
- Sowerby Primary Academy Primary
- Thirsk Community Primary School Primary
- Topcliffe CofE Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Knayton Church of England Academy teach?
- Knayton Church of England Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Thirsk.
- Who is the headteacher of Knayton Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of Knayton Church of England Academy is Mrs Abigail Clay, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Knayton Church of England Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Knayton Church of England 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 Knayton Church of England Academy?
- Knayton Church of England Academy has 118 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Knayton Church of England Academy full?
- Knayton Church of England Academy has capacity for 150 pupils and 118 on roll (79%), 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 Knayton Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Knayton Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of York.
- Does Knayton Church of England Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Knayton Church of England Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Knayton Church of England Academy?
- Knayton Church of England Academy is part of ELEVATE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Knayton Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Knayton Church of England Academy rank locally?
- Knayton Church of England Academy ranked 65th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Knayton Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- Knayton Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 3.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Knayton Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Knayton Church of England 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 10 July 2026.