The Rydal Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led · Mixed · Darlington
Rydal Road, Darlington, DL1 4BH
33
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Good
Graded 06/12/2022
Application demand
100%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
92.3%
25.5% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
584
Capacity used
Nearly full93%
630 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Primary entry · official council applications and offers
100%
1st preference success rate
50 of 50 families who put it first got an offer
56
Places offered
109
Total applications
1.9
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 50 | 50 | ● 100% |
| 2nd preference | 32 | 4 | ● 13% |
| 3rd preference | 12 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Later preferences (4th–5th) | 15 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Total | 109 | 54 | 50% |
1st preference success by year
Darlington lets families list 5 preferences. Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Primary
- Age range
- 2–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Has Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- John Armitage
- Address
- Rydal Road, Darlington, DL1 4BH
- Phone
- 01325380784
- Local authority
- Darlington
- Ward / constituency
- Bank Top & Lascelles · Darlington
- Area
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 138989
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 52% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 11% | — | — |
| SEN support | 21% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 5 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: NORTHERN ARCH LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
584 pupils · 630 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 22
06 December 2022
Full graded inspection
Good overall effectivenessEarly years Good Personal development Good Quality of education Good Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Good Leadership and management Good - 19
05 December 2019
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 494 pupils
Attendance
92.3%
Share of sessions attended · England 94.5%
Overall absence
7.8%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 5.5%
Persistent absence
25.5%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 14.6%
Severe absence
5.9%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
2.4%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
Primary results (Key Stage 2)
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 33% | — | — |
| Higher standard | 100% | — | — |
| Reading progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Writing progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Maths progress | — | — | 0.0 |
Primary results by subject (SATs)
Year 6 pupils meeting each standard, against England
Reading, writing & maths combined
Reading
Writing
Maths
Grammar, punctuation & spelling
Science
England average · Scaled scores run 80–120 (100 = expected standard).
Primary results over time
Expected standard (RWM) by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) | 46% | 61% |
| Higher standard | 4% | 8% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Darlington council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Reception (primary) | 15 January | 16 April (or next working day) |
Admissions policy: Non-selective. Check the school's own admissions rules on its website.
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.