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Oakley Cross Primary School and Nursery

Primary · Bishop Auckland · DL14 9UD

Data updated

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Good

Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection

Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.

Inspected 9 November 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

161 pupils · 135% of 119 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Community school
Age range
2–11
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
40.4% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
1.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
26.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
Nursery
Yes
Website
www.oakleycross.durham.sch.uk/
URN
114069

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 14 families named it first for 16 Reception places, 0.88 first choices per place. We hold 4 Reception admissions rounds for it, 2022 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 9 November 2023 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7.1% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.88 first-choice applications per place

16 places offered · 14 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

18 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
56%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
11%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
105
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
105
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school56%
Median of its 12 closest peers55.5%
County Durham average62.1%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is in line with the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
Burradon Community Primary SchoolCramlington · 29 miles awayNeeds attention73%
Drake Primary AcademyPlymouth · 311 miles awayNeeds attention55%
Althorpe and Keadby Primary SchoolScunthorpe · 82 miles awayGood53%
Falmouth Primary AcademyFalmouth · 340 miles awayStrong standard69%
St Bartholomew's CofE VC Primary SchoolStourport-on-Severn · 161 miles awayGood57%
Drybrook Primary SchoolDrybrook · 195 miles awayRequires improvement56%
Yeo Valley Primary SchoolBarnstaple · 264 miles awayGood43%
Killamarsh Junior SchoolSheffield · 92 miles awayRequires improvement39%
Parsons Heath Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolColchester · 218 miles awayGood47%
J H Godwin Primary SchoolChester · 110 miles awayNeeds attention32%
Bayside AcademyPOOLE · 270 miles awayNeeds attention60%
Castle AcademyDoncaster · 81 miles awayGood74%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 90% (County Durham 90%, England 60%) · Mixed White and Asian 3% (County Durham 1%, England 2%) · Any other White background 2% (County Durham 2%, England 7%) · Any other Asian background 2% (County Durham 1%, England 2%) · White Gypsy/Roma 2% (County Durham 0%, England 0%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (County Durham 0%, England 2%)

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7.1%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
27.7%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

0.00 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · County Durham: 3.75 suspensions and 0.04 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
18.9
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

100% of teachers stayed at the school the following year

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained primaries: 0.18% vacant, 0.36% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

37.5% of teachers took sickness absence, 7.3 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £53,679; 25% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£8,334
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 78% (76%) · premises 6% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 7% (8%) · supplies and services 9% (9%) · educational supplies 5% (4%) · bought-in professional services 4% (3%) · catering 4% (5%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve £197,058; in-year balance +£16,484

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
3/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher21.9%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications24.8%18.1%
In managerial or professional work22.3%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways20.9%18.1%
Residents in very good health40%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier72.4%62.3%
Social housing12.9%17.1%
Privately rented14.7%20.5%
Detached houses11.7%22.9%
Flats1.1%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms11.9%21.1%
Households with no car or van20.7%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020896 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£114,000119 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£81,500–£155,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (22)£197,500
Semi-detached (43)£140,000
Terraced (50)£85,000

Homes around this school are among the cheapest tenth of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
0an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
4an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
2an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools