Great Smeaton Academy Primary School, Northallerton
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Northallerton, part of Dales Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2024 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 12 schools in Northallerton with published results, and 10,529th of 13,912 across England. It was 40% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to North Yorkshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School in detail
Results
In 2024, 67% of Year 6 pupils at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 67% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in North Yorkshire and 76% and 74% across England.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 1 family put Great Smeaton Academy Primary School as their first choice and 4 named it as one of their preferences, for 1 place 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 Great Smeaton Academy Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Great Smeaton Academy Primary School are East Cowton Church of England Primary School (2.6 miles, Good); Appleton Wiske Community Primary School (2.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 73% maths); North and South Cowton Community Primary School (4 miles, Good); and Hurworth Primary School (4.6 miles, Good, 93% reading, 87% maths).
East Cowton Church of England Primary SchoolAppleton Wiske Community Primary SchoolNorth and South Cowton Community Primary SchoolHurworth Primary School
The trust
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School is one of 15 schools run by Dales Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
14 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Great Smeaton Academy Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 83% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (83%).
Who goes there
16.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 10 pupils (41.7%) received SEN support and 1 (4.2%) 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
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School had 4 teachers in 2026, one for every 7 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Great Smeaton Academy Primary School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Eloys Church (w-bound), 110 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
Great Smeaton Academy 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; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from December 2015, 10 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 June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Great Smeaton is a tight-knit community where your child will feel genuinely cared for and safe. The school is particularly skilled at supporting children with additional needs, ensuring they thrive alongside their peers. Outdoor learning and enrichment activities like enterprise projects and community visits help children develop confidence, teamwork skills, and a real understanding of the world around them.
Key Strengths
- Caring, welcoming environment where pupils feel safe and develop strong relationships with staff
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with full inclusion in school life
- Well-designed curriculum matched to mixed-age classes that helps pupils achieve their best
- Strong focus on wider development including British values, online safety, and community responsibility
- Pupils demonstrate respect, good manners, and positive attitudes to learning
Areas for Improvement
- Writing curriculum is new and inconsistently implemented - small steps to success not always clear to pupils
- Pupils have fewer opportunities to revisit and strengthen their writing skills
- Handwriting errors are not consistently identified and corrected, leading to repeated mistakes
- Need for more consistent approach to handwriting style across the school
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school successfully creating an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Outdoor learning sessions, enterprise projects (stationery tuck shop), school council, mini police roles, school visits to Buddhist temples, emergency services workshops, breakfast club, wraparound childcare
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School is a caring and welcoming small school where pupils feel safe and proud to be part of the community. The school has maintained the standards from its previous good rating and continues to have high expectations for pupil achievement and behaviour.
At a Glance
16.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
14 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2023/24KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2023/24 academic year
Class Sizes
12.0
Avg class size
4.0
Infant (KS1)
20.0
KS2
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Great Smeaton Academy Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Great Smeaton Academy Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Great Smeaton Academy 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Great Smeaton Academy Primary School
Will you get a place at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Great Smeaton Academy Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Great Smeaton Academy Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Great Smeaton Academy 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 Great Smeaton Academy 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
40%
Available places
28 pupils
70 places
42 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Northallerton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Northallerton
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)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
10
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
45.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
24
Total Pupils
10
Boys
14
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
4
Teachers
6.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,543
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£11,896
Per pupil
£377k
Total funding
£6k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
3.3%
Persistent absence
30
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Great Smeaton Academy Primary School
What are SATs results like at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
Of the pupils at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School who took the 2024 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.
What is Great Smeaton Academy Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Great Smeaton Academy 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 Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 40% of its 70 places.
How big are the classes at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
Classes at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School average 12 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School has around 24 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
4% of sessions were missed at Great Smeaton Academy Primary School in 2024/25. 3.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
Apply through North Yorkshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Great Smeaton Academy 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 Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in North Yorkshire is 3 (the median across 382 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Great Smeaton Academy Primary School?
Great Smeaton Academy Primary School is at Great Smeaton, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 2EQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)