Sowerby Primary Academy
Topcliffe Road, Sowerby, Thirsk, YO7 1RX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ELEVATE MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Keeley Ungerechts
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Elevate Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 339
- Pupils on roll
- 279
- URN
- 145369
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01845523037
About this school
Sowerby Primary Academy is a primary academy in Thirsk. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 279 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 June 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 40 | 46 | 48 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 46% | 65% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 7% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 70% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 70% | 50% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 61% | 65% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.10 | - | - |
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 Sowerby Primary 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 | 60% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 46% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 65% | 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 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 299 |
| 2023/24 | 304 |
| 2024/25 | 291 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sowerby Primary Academy compares
Sowerby Primary Academy ranked 101st of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 65% | 4.8% | 21.5% | 279 | — |
| All Saints Catholic Primary School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy | 50% | 3.5% | 21.4% | 94 | 0.1 miles |
| Keeble Gateway Academy | — | 6.2% | 19.1% | 204 | 0.5 miles |
| Thirsk Community Primary School | 30% | 8.1% | 44.6% | 122 | 0.8 miles |
| South Kilvington Church of England Academy | 92% | 3.8% | 8.5% | 85 | 1.8 miles |
| Carlton Miniott Primary Academy | 71% | 4% | 13.6% | 196 | 1.9 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 21.54%
- English as an additional language
- 6.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.76%
- Persistent absence
- 10.53%
Location
Nearby schools
-
All Saints Catholic Primary School, a Catholic Voluntary Academy0.1 miles
Primary · Thirsk
-
Keeble Gateway Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Thirsk
-
Thirsk Community Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Thirsk
-
South Kilvington Church of England Academy1.8 miles
Primary · Thirsk
-
Carlton Miniott Primary Academy1.9 miles
Primary · Thirsk
Other schools in Thirsk
Sowerby Primary Academy ranks 5th 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
- Knayton Church of England Academy Primary
- Pickhill Church of England Primary School Primary
- Sessay Church of England Primary School Primary
- South Kilvington Church of England Academy Primary
- Thirsk Community Primary School Primary
- Topcliffe CofE Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Sowerby Primary Academy teach?
- Sowerby Primary Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Thirsk.
- Who is the headteacher of Sowerby Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Sowerby Primary Academy is Mrs Keeley Ungerechts, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Sowerby Primary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sowerby Primary 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 Sowerby Primary Academy?
- Sowerby Primary Academy has 279 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Sowerby Primary Academy full?
- Sowerby Primary Academy has capacity for 339 pupils and 279 on roll (82%), 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 Sowerby Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Sowerby Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Sowerby Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Sowerby Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Sowerby Primary Academy?
- Sowerby Primary 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 Sowerby Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 65% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sowerby Primary Academy rank locally?
- Sowerby Primary Academy ranked 101st of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sowerby Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Sowerby Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sowerby Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sowerby Primary 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.