Thirsk Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 February 2026

Pupils are proud to attend this welcoming school. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Their achievement in national tests at the end of key stage 2 has been below national expectations for the last 3 years. Pupils enjoy learning, which takes place in calm and focused classrooms. Recent changes to the curriculum are making a difference to how well pupils learn, particularly in mathematics. However, some changes to the curriculum are very recent. There is variability in the way staff deliver some aspects of the curriculum, including writing. Consequently, pupils are not as well prepared as they should be for the next stages. In early years, the curriculum is well considered, and children get off to a positive start. Children build important early knowledge and skills. Younger pupils learn phonics well, with results consistently close to the national average in the phonics screening check. Pupils behave well. Leaders ensure that pupils know how to express their feelings. Staff listen to any concerns and help pupils to make the right choices. Pupils live out the school's values, particularly 'compassion'. Throughout the day, pupils check that their peers are okay. They are confident that adults will sort out any problems. Consequently, bullying is rare and pupils feel safe in school. Pupils enjoy the wider opportunities provided, such as clubs and fulfilling leadership roles. These experiences help pupils to broaden their interests and develop confidence. Most pupils attend school regularly. Where attendance is lower, the school works with families to remove any barriers. Pupils' attendance continues to improve. Leaders make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND can take part in all aspects of school life. These include local sports competitions, such as cross country and multi skills. The school has been through a period of change. Leaders have begun to strengthen many areas and have made a positive start. However, there is still significant work to do to ensure pupils fully benefit from this.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, develop the knowledge and skills they need in relation to their handwriting, spelling and punctuation so that they are able to produce written work of a consistently high quality across the curriculum.
• Leaders and governors should ensure that they have a precise oversight of the actions taken to improve the school so that any weaknesses can be promptly identified and addressed.
• Leaders should continue to closely analyse absence and implement strategies to further improve the attendance of a small proportion of pupils that continue to be persistently absent from school.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)