When should a child begin to train, and why the old fear was wrong
Most parents think lifting weights is dangerous for children. Twenty years of paediatric consensus disagree, and the reason has more to do with the nervous system than with muscle.
Darlington
The Rydal Academy
Academy sponsor led · ages 2–11 · 621 pupils
Part of NORTHERN ARCH LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
50% free school meals 18% English as an additional language (Year 6) 13% SEN support (Year 6)
Year 6 results
Reading, writing and maths
Share of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/25.
| Year | School | Darlington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 38% | 56% | 60% |
| 2023/24 | 33% | 58% | 61% |
| 2024/25 | 46% | 62% | 63% |
| 3-year average | 39% |
82 pupils took the tests in 2025.
Average scaled scores in 2025: reading 103, maths 101 (100 is the expected standard). Higher standard in reading, writing and maths: 4%.
There are no results for 2019/20 or 2020/21, when the tests were cancelled. What do SATs scores mean?
Inspection
What Ofsted found
Good overall, report published 31/01/2023
Most recent check, 07/01/2020: School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next.
Ofsted stopped giving a single overall grade in 2024 and moved to report cards in November 2025. Older grades and new report cards aren't directly comparable.
The local area
Children in Darlington
| Measure | Darlington | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good level of development at the end of Reception 2024/25 lower | 64.9% | 68.3% |
| Phonics check met in Year 1 2024/25 similar | 78.9% | 79.8% |
| Year 6 children living with obesity 2024/25 similar | 22.1% | 22.2% |
| MMR two doses by age 5 2024/25 higher | 88.9% | 83.7% |
| Primary pupils persistently absent 2024/25 higher | 14.8% | 13.0% |
| Children in relative low-income families (under 16) 2024/25 higher | 24.8% | 19.8% |
“Higher” or “lower” means the difference from England is bigger than the margin of error; “similar” means it isn’t. These are figures for all children in the council area, not for any one school or child.