The Rydal Academy

General Information

Address: Rydal Road, Darlington, DL1 4BH
Phone: 01325380784
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr John Armitage
Age range: 2-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 584
School capacity: 630
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 280
% eligible for free school meals: 51.6%
Nursery provision: Yes

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 7.8%
Persistently absent pupils: 25.5%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 21.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Moderate learning difficulty: 46 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 38 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 26 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 9 pupils
Hearing impairment: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Behaviour

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Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

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Educational Attainment

Good 2022 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Ranked #20 of 24 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#18St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#19St. George's Church of England AcademyGood
#20The Rydal AcademyGood
#21West Park AcademyGood
#22Whinfield Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

#1St John's Church of England AcademyOutstanding
#2Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary SchoolGood
#3Corporation Road Community Primary SchoolGood
#4Firthmoor Primary SchoolGood
#5Gurney Pease AcademyGood
#6Heathfield Primary SchoolGood
#7Heighington Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#8High Coniscliffe CofE Primary SchoolGood
#9Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#10Hurworth Primary SchoolGood
#11Mount Pleasant Primary SchoolGood
#12Northwood Primary SchoolGood
#13Polam Hall SchoolGood
#14Reid Street Primary SchoolGood
#15Springfield AcademyGood
#16St Augustine's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#17St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#18St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#19St. George's Church of England AcademyGood
#20The Rydal AcademyGood
#21West Park AcademyGood
#22Whinfield Primary SchoolGood
#23Harrowgate Hill Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#24Skerne Park AcademyRequires improvement

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £6,958 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #12 of 26 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#10Polam Hall School£7,321
#11St John's Church of England Academy£6,966
#12The Rydal Academy£6,958
#13Heathfield Primary School£6,827
#14Corporation Road Community Primary School£6,777

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Red Hall Primary School£11,197
#2Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School£9,597
#3Skerne Park Academy£9,429
#4Mount Pleasant Primary School£8,996
#5High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School£8,000
#6Firthmoor Primary School£7,746
#7Gurney Pease Academy£7,717
#8Hurworth Primary School£7,398
#9Harrowgate Hill Primary School£7,390
#10Polam Hall School£7,321
#11St John's Church of England Academy£6,966
#12The Rydal Academy£6,958
#13Heathfield Primary School£6,827
#14Corporation Road Community Primary School£6,777
#15St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School£6,623
#16Springfield Academy£6,581
#17Northwood Primary School£6,329
#18Heighington Church of England Primary School£6,304
#19St Teresa's Catholic Primary School£6,292
#20West Park Academy£6,096
#21St Augustine's Catholic Primary School£6,086
#22Whinfield Primary School£5,998
#23St Bede's Catholic Primary School£5,949
#24St. George's Church of England Academy£5,728
#25Holy Family Catholic Primary School£5,646
#26Reid Street Primary School£26

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)