Wharfedale Montessori School, Skipton
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 10 months agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Wharfedale Montessori School has a strong Montessori curriculum that ensures all children learn to read and write, with careful tracking of each child's progress shared with parents online. The school has good first aid provision and pupils report feeling safe with effective anti-bullying measures in place. However, parents should be aware of serious safeguarding and leadership concerns identified in this inspection.
Key Strengths
- Montessori curriculum enables all pupils to learn and make progress, with all pupils able to read and write by the time they leave
- Careful tracking and assessment of individual pupil progress with weekly monitoring and online access for parents
- First aid provision is now well-managed with up-to-date equipment and regular checks
- Anti-bullying policy now in place with pupils confident bullying does not happen
- Risk assessments for school site and activities are appropriate and well-documented
Areas for Improvement
- Safeguarding records and processes need urgent improvement - unclear how concerns would be recorded and acted upon
- Recruitment procedures do not adequately assess candidates' suitability to work with children, and insufficient staff have recent safer recruitment training
- Admissions register does not comply with legal requirements for recording amendments and retaining entries
- Leadership lacks secure knowledge of independent school standards and there is no clear plan to ensure ongoing compliance
- Safeguarding concerns about new chair's partner living on school premises without full checks and no access control systems
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is not effective - safeguarding policy was not updated to latest government guidance, record-keeping systems are inadequate, recruitment processes do not properly assess suitability to work with children, and there are unmitigated risks regarding a director living on premises with incomplete background checks.
Wharfedale Montessori School does not meet all independent school standards. While the school has a good Montessori curriculum and pupils make progress in literacy and numeracy, there are significant concerns around safeguarding records, recruitment processes, and leadership oversight of regulatory compliance.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
31 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
58%
Available places
28 pupils
48 capacity
20 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Skipton
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Skipton
Admissions Demand - North Yorkshire
Places available
7,139
Applications
5,644
Got 1st preference
92.6%
Got preferred school
98.7%
Secondary admissions across North Yorkshire (2025/26)
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
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.
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