Crakehall Church of England Primary School, Bedale
Crakehall Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bedale. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 81st-highest of the 236 schools in North Yorkshire with published results, and 5,291st of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 107% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to North Yorkshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Crakehall Church of England Primary School in detail
Crakehall Church of England Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include cooking and forest school.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils at Crakehall Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 81% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in North Yorkshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 91% in reading and 91% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Crakehall Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 11 families put Crakehall Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 12 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Crakehall Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Crakehall Church of England Primary School are Bedale Church of England Primary School (2 miles, Good, 80% reading, 84% maths); Leeming St. John's Church of England Primary School (2.7 miles, Good, 83% reading, 83% maths); Thornton Watlass Church of England Primary School (2.9 miles, Good, 67% reading, 56% maths); and Leeming and Londonderry Community Primary School (3.2 miles, Good).
Crakehall Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Bedale Church of England Primary SchoolLeeming St. John's Church of England Primary SchoolThornton Watlass Church of England Primary SchoolLeeming and Londonderry Community Primary School
What parents say
49 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Crakehall Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (94%).
Who goes there
7.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 21 pupils (17.4%) received SEN support and 3 (2.5%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Staffing
Crakehall Church of England Primary School had 4 teachers in 2026, one for every 28 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Bedale (Wensleydale Railway), about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bay Horse Inn (nw-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in North Yorkshire (9).
Suspensions and exclusions
Crakehall Church of England Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a warm, nurturing environment where children thrive both academically and personally. Staff have high expectations and provide excellent support, particularly for children with additional needs. Pupils develop secure knowledge across the curriculum, read fluently and confidently, and behave beautifully, treating each other with kindness and respect.
Key Strengths
- Well-designed curriculum that builds knowledge progressively across subjects
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, with staff identifying needs quickly and providing appropriate help
- Strong phonics teaching with effective reading development - pupils learn to read with fluency and accuracy
- Very good pupil behaviour with a calm, purposeful atmosphere throughout the school
- High-quality teacher training, particularly in providing effective feedback to pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Variation in how well pupils deepen their learning when working independently
- Some tasks set for pupils do not sufficiently account for what they already know and can do
- Need to better prepare pupils to make the most of their learning when working without direct teacher support
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders and staff maintaining a strong culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Dodgeball, music lessons, science club, subject ambassador roles, school council, eco-council, outdoor learning, Year 6 residential trip to London
Crakehall Church of England Primary School has successfully maintained its good standards. The school exemplifies its vision of 'growing together' with pupils who are well cared for, feel happy and safe, and flourish academically and personally.
At a Glance
7.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
49 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 91% to 81% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 91% to 81% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.3
Avg class size
4
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Crakehall Church of England Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Crakehall Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Crakehall Church of England Primary School is in North Yorkshire; for families living there:
Apply to North Yorkshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 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 North Yorkshire is 3 (the median across 382 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 Crakehall Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Crakehall Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Crakehall Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Crakehall Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Crakehall Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from North Yorkshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Crakehall Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in North Yorkshire 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
107%
Over capacity
113 pupils
106 places
7 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bedale
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bedale
Across North Yorkshire council
Places available
7,127
Applications
5,052
Got 1st preference
95.6%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All primary applications across North Yorkshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
19.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
121
Total Pupils
68
Boys
53
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
4
Teachers
30.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£41,056
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,236
Per pupil
£737k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.7%
Overall absence
5.3%
Persistent absence
94
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Crakehall Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Crakehall Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 81% reached the expected standard in reading and 81% did so in maths.
What is Crakehall Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Crakehall Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Crakehall Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, North Yorkshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
Crakehall Church of England Primary School was full in 2025, at 107% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Crakehall Church of England Primary School average 30.3 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
Crakehall Church of England Primary School has around 121 pupils on roll. 7% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
3.7% of sessions were missed at Crakehall Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 5.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
Apply through North Yorkshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Crakehall Church of England Primary 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.
How many road collisions happen near Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 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 North Yorkshire is 3 (the median across 382 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Crakehall Church of England Primary School?
Crakehall Church of England Primary School is at The Green, Crakehall, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8 1HP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)