Bishopthorpe Infant School, York
Bishopthorpe Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in York, part of Yorkshire Learning Trust. It was 56% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to York (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Bishopthorpe Infant School in detail
Bishopthorpe Infant School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "As proud members of Yorkshire Learning Trust , we are part of a growing community of schools dedicated to Excellence in Every Journey . Through shared expertise, collaborative working, and a shared belief in the potential of every child, we work together to ensure that all learners feel included, supported, and inspired to achieve their very best."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Bishopthorpe Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Bishopthorpe Infant School as their first choice and 61 named it as one of their preferences, for 22 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Bishopthorpe Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Bishopthorpe Infant School are Archbishop of York's CofE Junior School, Bishopthorpe (0.1 miles, Good, 90% reading, 76% maths); Dringhouses Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 90% reading, 78% maths); Naburn Church of England Primary School (1.4 miles); and Woodthorpe Primary School (1.5 miles, Outstanding, 79% reading, 79% maths).
Archbishop of York's CofE Junior School, BishopthorpeDringhouses Primary SchoolNaburn Church of England Primary SchoolWoodthorpe Primary School
The trust
Bishopthorpe Infant School is one of 17 schools run by Yorkshire Learning Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
21 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Bishopthorpe Infant School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school and 100% say their child is happy there.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (76%).
Who goes there
5.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 8 pupils (8.2%) received SEN support and 2 (2.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is York Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sim Balk Lane (o/s 42), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Bishopthorpe Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 37 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well below the typical figure around schools in York (175).
Suspensions and exclusions
Bishopthorpe Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Bishopthorpe Infant School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in March 2022. Before that, as Bishopthorpe Infant School (URN 121440), it was rated Good in June 2012.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will feel safe and happy at Bishopthorpe Infant School. The school excels at teaching reading and phonics, with children in Reception making excellent progress from the start. Staff know pupils well and build strong, supportive relationships that help children develop confidence and resilience as eager, enthusiastic learners.
Key Strengths
- Reading is a high priority with excellent phonics teaching - children in Reception get off to a flying start
- Strong early years curriculum matched to individual cohorts, helping children achieve well across all learning areas
- Early identification of pupils with SEND through communication with pre-school providers and parents
- Well-behaved, polite and respectful pupils who follow positive routines from Reception
- Safe and welcoming environment where staff know pupils well and relationships are kind and friendly
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching in some foundation subjects does not secure pupils' knowledge well enough to prepare them for junior school
- Limited curriculum opportunities for pupils to understand fundamental British values and appreciate people different to them
- Some older pupils lack engagement when the curriculum is not as engaging as it could be
- Pupils' knowledge of different faiths and cultures is limited
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Outdoor wildlife area, palaeontologist visitor days, Chinese New Year celebrations, police and fire service visits, zoned playground activities including bikes and scooters, tennis, trim trail and playground games
Bishopthorpe Infant School has maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. The school provides a safe and welcoming environment where pupils feel happy and supported.
At a Glance
5.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
21 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
24.3
Avg class size
24.3
Infant (KS1)
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Bishopthorpe Infant School
From Bishopthorpe Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Bishopthorpe Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Bishopthorpe Infant School.
- Little Green Rascals - Bishopthorpe Out of School Club (OOSC)At the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Bishopthorpe Infant School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see York's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Bishopthorpe Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Bishopthorpe Infant School is in York; for families living there:
- York's school travel policy: Home to School Transport Policy - 4 to 16
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in York is 12.5 (the median across 74 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Bishopthorpe Infant School
Will you get a place at Bishopthorpe Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Bishopthorpe Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Bishopthorpe Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Bishopthorpe Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from York, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Bishopthorpe Infant School for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in York got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
56%
Available places
95 pupils
170 places
75 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - York
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for York
Across York council
Places available
1,891
Applications
1,553
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across York council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
8
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
10.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
97
Total Pupils
52
Boys
45
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
19.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,970
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,675
Per pupil
£627k
Total funding
£12k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
7.0%
Persistent absence
57
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Bishopthorpe Infant School
Questions parents ask about Bishopthorpe Infant School
What is Bishopthorpe Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Bishopthorpe Infant School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in March 2022. Before that, as Bishopthorpe Infant School (URN 121440), it was rated Good in June 2012.
What is the catchment area for Bishopthorpe Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Bishopthorpe Infant School is oversubscribed, York allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Bishopthorpe Infant School?
Bishopthorpe Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 56% of its 170 places.
How big are the classes at Bishopthorpe Infant School?
Classes at Bishopthorpe Infant School average 24.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Bishopthorpe Infant School?
Bishopthorpe Infant School has around 97 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Bishopthorpe Infant School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Bishopthorpe Infant School in 2024/25. 7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Bishopthorpe Infant School?
Apply through York's coordinated admissions process, naming Bishopthorpe Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Bishopthorpe Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Little Green Rascals - Bishopthorpe Out of School Club (OOSC) (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Bishopthorpe Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in York is 12.5 (the median across 74 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Bishopthorpe Infant School?
Bishopthorpe Infant School is at Sim Balk Lane, Bishopthorpe, York, North Yorkshire, YO23 2QQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)