Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School
Main Street, Church Fenton, Tadcaster, LS24 9RF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- YORKSHIRE LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Mel Walmsley
- Diocese
- Diocese of York
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The STAR Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Wetherby and Easingwold
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 230
- Pupils on roll
- 239
- URN
- 146007
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01937557228
About this school
Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Tadcaster. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 239 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Kirk Fenton 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 9 November 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 | 27 | 29 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 45% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 7% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 66% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 79% | 68% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 66% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.10 | - | - |
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 Kirk Fenton 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 | 63% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 45% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 242 |
| 2023/24 | 244 |
| 2024/25 | 240 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School compares
Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School ranked 131st of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% 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 | 58% | 3.6% | 10.4% | 239 | — |
| Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | 89% | 4.5% | 10.8% | 138 | 1.6 miles |
| Sherburn Hungate Primary School | 58% | 5.9% | 29% | 406 | 2.2 miles |
| Saxton Church of England Primary School | — | 3% | 5% | 44 | 2.6 miles |
| Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School | 76% | 4.7% | 17.2% | 490 | 3.0 miles |
| Cawood Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 57% | 3.4% | 3.2% | 130 | 3.7 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 10.42%
- English as an additional language
- 2.1%
- Overall absence
- 3.64%
- Persistent absence
- 5.58%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy1.6 miles
Primary · Tadcaster
-
Sherburn Hungate Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Leeds
-
Saxton Church of England Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Tadcaster
-
Sherburn in Elmet, Athelstan Community Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Leeds
-
Cawood Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Selby/York
Other schools in Tadcaster
Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School ranks 4th of the 5 ranked primary schools in Tadcaster.
Common questions
- What ages does Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School teach?
- Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Tadcaster.
- Who is the headteacher of Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School is Mrs Mel Walmsley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kirk Fenton 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 Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School?
- Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School has 239 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School full?
- Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School has capacity for 230 pupils and 239 on roll (104%), so it is at or above 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 Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of York.
- Does Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School is part of YORKSHIRE LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Kirk Fenton 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 63% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in North Yorkshire?
- Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School ranked 131st of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% 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 Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kirk Fenton Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kirk Fenton 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 10 July 2026.