Ruswarp Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Whitby

Requires Improvement
Primary
Voluntary controlled school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.2km)Possible (~1.7km)Unlikely (~2.2km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Helen Isaac
Pupils:36 / 105 capacity
LA:North Yorkshire
Phone:01947602029
Address:Ruswarp, Whitby, YO21 1NJ
Federation:The Rise Federation
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Requires Improvement

Overall

URN:121525
UKPRN:10079206
Diocese:Diocese of York
Constituency:Scarborough and Whitby
Urban/Rural:Urban: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This warm, caring school puts pupils' happiness and wellbeing at the centre of everything. Staff know each child well and pupils feel they belong to a large, happy family where they are safe and supported. The school provides excellent early years education that prepares children brilliantly for Year 1, with particularly strong phonics teaching and a rich curriculum that includes trips, residential visits and local music festival involvement.

Key Strengths

  • Early years provision is exceptional with strong focus on language, vocabulary and phonics
  • Personal development and wellbeing curriculum is broad, well-structured and age-appropriate
  • Strong safeguarding culture where leaders and staff prioritise pupil safety and wellbeing
  • Inclusive approach with well-coordinated support for pupils with special educational needs and vulnerable groups
  • Behaviour has improved significantly with calm, respectful atmosphere throughout the school

Areas for Improvement

  • Writing and mathematics achievement at key stage 2 not consistently at national standards, particularly for higher attainers
  • Teaching not consistently precise in using assessment information to address gaps in pupil knowledge
  • Pupils with handwriting difficulties not receiving targeted support needed
  • Knowledge in wider curriculum areas like history and science not sufficiently embedded for long-term retention

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Trips to castles, residential visits, local music festival participation, breakfast club, lunchtime clubs, Anti-Bullying Week, Black History Month events

Ruswarp Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a small, rural school where pupils' happiness and wellbeing are at the heart of everything. The early years provision is a particular strength, with well-planned curriculum and high-quality interactions supporting children's language and vocabulary development.

At a Glance

8.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2024/25

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

Reading56%
Maths44%
Writing44%

2024/25 academic year

Class Sizes

9.5

Avg class size

10.0

Infant (KS1)

2

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Ruswarp Rail Station (entrance)
39m · 1 min walk

Bus Stops

School (SE-bound)
10m · 0 min walk
Parish Church (NW-bound)
39m · 1 min walk
Sneaton Lane (W-bound)
156m · 3 min walk
Chainbridge Holiday Park (SW-bound)
415m · 7 min walk
Bank Top (S-bound)
489m · 8 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

34%

Available places

36 pupils

105 capacity

69 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Whitby

Low pressure
New homes approved:462
Projected new pupils:116

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Whitby

Admissions Demand - North Yorkshire

Low demand0.69x oversubscription

Places available

7,282

Applications

5,050

Got 1st preference

94.4%

Got preferred school

98.7%

Primary admissions across North Yorkshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(12)

Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.38208%

Overall absence

7.69231%

Persistent absence

26

Enrolments

Authorised5.17751%
Unauthorised1.20456%
Persistent (10%+)7.69231%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

4.50656%
18/19
3.38257%
20/21
7.45318%
21/22
6.07945%
22/23
5.30343%
23/24
6.38208%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.