Marwood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Great Ayton, Middlesbrough

Ofsted's report card from its 10 February 2026 inspection grades Marwood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Great Ayton on 7 areas: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have planned a coherent and well-designed personal, social and health education programme."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils typically achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils enjoy coming to school."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school's curriculum is broad and balanced."

Early years - Expected standard. "Children in Reception make a positive start."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Inclusion is a priority for leaders."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear and accurate understanding of the school's context and the barriers pupils face."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should strengthen their strategic oversight of attendance, behaviour and support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to help them evaluate the effectiveness of provision and secure rapid improvement"; "Leaders should refine the early years curriculum to ensure that, in all areas of learning, it includes precise expectations for how children's vocabulary should be developed and practised over time"; "In early years, leaders should strengthen teaching approaches, including how staff support children to sustain focus, so that children are consistently well supported to apply and deepen their knowledge in all areas of the curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment effectively within lessons and across a sequence of lessons, to quickly identify and address misconceptions and gaps in pupils' knowledge"; "Leaders should ensure that all pupils develop self-discipline and consistently demonstrate high levels of respect for others, including peers, visitors and adults, both in and beyond the classroom"; "Leaders should ensure that the work provided for pupils enables all pupils to achieve well from their starting points, including the most able and those with SEND".

In its own words: "Thank you for Marwood School and everybody in it. Please help us to work hard and play happily together. God bless our school. Thank you for the world so sweet, Thank you for the food we eat, Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you God for everything."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Marwood Infant School is a happy, caring school where all children are nurtured and encouraged to reach their potential. As a Church of England school the Christian ethos is central to the life of the school community."

For September 2026 entry, 9 families put Marwood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Great Ayton as their first choice and 29 named it as one of their preferences, for 9 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Marwood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Great Ayton are Roseberry Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 91% reading, 85% maths); Stokesley Primary Academy (2.2 miles, Good, 41% reading, 47% maths); Chandlers Ridge Academy (2.9 miles, Good, 92% reading, 88% maths); and Kirkby and Great Broughton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (3 miles, Good, 84% reading, 95% maths).

29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Marwood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Great Ayton (as of April 2026): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 0% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (0%).

9.4% 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, 7 pupils (13.2%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) 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.

Marwood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Great Ayton had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 7 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Great Ayton Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Stone Bridge (e-bound), 90 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Marwood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Great Ayton 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 20 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and burglary. That is well above the typical figure around schools in North Yorkshire (9), as is usual near a town centre.

Marwood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant School, Great Ayton recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.