Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, York

Ofsted's report card from its 2 June 2026 inspection grades Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School on 7 areas: 4 expected standard and 3 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils' attendance is in line with national averages and rates of persistent absence are low."

Early years - Expected standard. "Children in the early years have their needs met well."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Every pupil belongs in this inclusive school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school builds its culture on clear, shared values."

Achievement - Needs attention. "While many pupils achieve well and remember what they have learned, some have gaps in their knowledge and skills that impact their outcomes."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The wider curriculum is broad and well-designed but there remains more to do to ensure the writing programme builds pupils' knowledge and skills step-by-step over time."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders understand many of the school's strengths and have identified key priorities for improvement."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that robust quality assurance identifies precise, measurable priorities for improvement. Leaders' aims should help everyone understand what success looks like, enable them to evaluate how effectively actions are improving pupils' experiences and outcomes and lead to timely adaptation where needed"; "Leaders should continue recent work to embed whole-school assessment processes that inform high-quality teaching, are underpinned by targeted and impactful professional development for staff and lead to improved outcomes for pupils"; "Leaders should ensure that teaching consistently secures pupils' essential knowledge and skills, including the use of checks on learning to promptly identify and address gaps in reading, handwriting, spelling and number facts, so that all pupils, including those who face barriers to learning, develop accuracy and fluency over time"; "Staff should ensure that learning is consistently and effectively adapted to pupils' starting points. This includes breaking learning into manageable steps, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that they can participate successfully and independently and make sustained progress across the curriculum".

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils at Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 72% in East Riding of Yorkshire and 77% and 75% across England.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 11 families put Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as their first choice and 16 named it as one of their preferences, for 11 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 Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School are Elvington Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (1 mile, Good, 94% reading, 71% maths); Wheldrake with Thorganby Church of England Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 89% reading, 71% maths); Wilberfoss Church of England Primary School (2.8 miles, 90% reading, 90% maths); and Melbourne Primary School (3.2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 81% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School.

5.8% 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.

Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School.

3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sutton On Derwent Main St, 220 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often burglary, public order offences and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in East Riding of Yorkshire (31).

Sutton Upon Derwent Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.