Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #23 in Darlington public Top 87% UK

The Rydal Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr John Armitage

corporate_fareSWIFT ACADEMIES

location_onDarlington, DL1 4BH

language Visit Website phone 1325380784

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

619

school

Expected Standard

46%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

0.8x

summarize

The Rydal Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Darlington, serving ages 2-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 87% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

The Rydal Academy is an academy sponsor led in Darlington, admitting pupils aged 2-11. It is part of SWIFT ACADEMIES. The school has approximately 621 pupils on roll, of whom 52% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 46% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 4% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #23 of 27 primaries in Darlington and #10,489 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

46%

LA 60%

Reading62% LA 70%

Writing54% LA 70%

Maths60% LA 71%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

33%

LA 56%England 61%

Reading54% LA 69% · Eng 74%

Writing44% LA 69% · Eng 72%

Maths41% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

101

Maths SS

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

38%

LA 55%England 60%

Reading70% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing47% LA 68% · Eng 71%

Maths57% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

101

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.5

Read

LA -0.4

-0.9 to 1.8

-2.0

Write

LA 0.1

-3.3 to -0.7

-0.3

Maths

LA -0.6

-1.5 to 1.0

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

43%

LA 65%England 65%

Reading54% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Writing55% LA 78% · Eng 78%

Maths73% LA 80% · Eng 79%

Read SS

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

-2.4

Read

LA 0.5

-3.8 to -1.0

-2.1

Write

LA 1.0

-3.4 to -0.8

1.3

Maths

LA 0.9

0.1 to 2.5

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

54%

LA 64%

Reading63% LA 77%

Writing61% LA 80%

Maths66% LA 75%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.3

Read

LA 0.7

-1.3 to 1.9

0.3

Write

LA 0.7

-1.2 to 1.8

1.6

Maths

LA 1.0

0.1 to 3.1

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

06 December 2022

Inspection Report

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04 December 2019

Inspection Report

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04 May 2016

Inspection Report

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29 April 2014

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2022-12-06

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2016-05-04

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-04-29

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

1.3%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.3%(8 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 621 pupils. During this period, there were 8 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.3%, which is above the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	621	8	1.3%	0.8%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	612	11	1.8%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	645	34	5.3%	0.8%	3
2023/24 (Spring term)	617	20	3.2%	0.7%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	589	19	3.2%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	623	27	4.3%	0.7%	3
2022/23 (Spring term)	619	19	3.1%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	616	7	1.1%	0.6%	3
2021/22 (Summer term)	613	11	1.8%	0.5%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	615	12	2.0%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	606	6	1.0%	0.5%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	619	5	0.8%	0.4%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	599	0	0.0%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	591	9	1.5%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	627	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	627	4	0.6%	0.4%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	619	8	1.3%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	630	3	0.5%	0.4%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	613	4	0.7%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	609	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	634	2	0.3%	0.5%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	602	1	0.2%	0.4%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	582	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	602	3	0.5%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	575	1	0.2%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	557	1	0.2%	0.5%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 54 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 31 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 30 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 12 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 9 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

91.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

96.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

22.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree39%

agree52%

disagree4%

don't know4%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree48%

agree43%

disagree9%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree35%

agree22%

disagree4%

strongly disagree4%

don't know4%

not applicable30%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree43%

agree35%

strongly disagree9%

don't know13%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree70%

agree22%

disagree4%

don't know4%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree39%

agree39%

disagree13%

strongly disagree9%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree61%

agree30%

disagree4%

don't know4%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree83%

agree17%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree52%

agree26%

disagree9%

strongly disagree4%

don't know9%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes91%

no9%

Top Primary Schools in Darlington

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

Good

location_on Darlington, DL1 4NL

emoji_events #1 in LA

Springfield Academy

Good

location_on Darlington, DL1 2AN

emoji_events #2 in LA

Gurney Pease Academy

Good

location_on Darlington, DL1 2NG

emoji_events #3 in LA

Mowden Junior School

Good

location_on Darlington, DL3 9DE

emoji_events #4 in LA

Mount Pleasant Primary School

Good

location_on Darlington, DL3 9HE

emoji_events #5 in LA

St John's Church of England Academy

Outstanding

location_on Darlington, DL1 4UB

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Darlington arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Darlington

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

Springfield Academy

Gurney Pease Academy

Mowden Junior School

Mount Pleasant Primary School

St John's Church of England Academy