SchoolFacts

Polam Hall School

All-through · Darlington · DL1 5PA

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Expected standard

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Expected standardAchievement: Expected standardAttendance & behaviour: Expected standardPersonal development: Strong standardInclusion: Expected standardLeadership & governance: Expected standardEarly years: Expected standardPost-16: Not applicable

Inspected 25 November 2025 · report published 18 January 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

842 pupils · 95% of 882 capacity

School type
Free schools
Age range
4–16
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
31.2% of pupils
English as additional language
14.3% of pupils
SEN support
11.1% of pupils
EHC plan
2.9% of pupils
Website
https://www.phs.woodard.co.uk/
URN
142174

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.96 first-choice applications per place

45 places offered · 43 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

Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE. A ratio above 1.00 means more families named this school first choice than there were places.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.94 first-choice applications per place

107 places offered · 101 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

Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE. A ratio above 1.00 means more families named this school first choice than there were places.

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

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

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
59%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
6%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
104
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
105
England 105

GCSE results (2024/2025)

90 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
44.6
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
63.3%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
37.8%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
4
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025. “Suppressed” means the DfE withholds figures for very small cohorts.

Attendance (2025/26 autumn term)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7.6%
England 6.5%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
22.7%
England 18.1%

Autumn-term absence, DfE pupil absence data. Lower is better.

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
19.5
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

85% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 15% left the state-funded sector

School Workforce Census, DfE. The ratio counts full-time-equivalent qualified teachers; retention follows teachers in post one November to the next. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Spending per pupil

This school£7,321
Typical all-through school£7,730

Total expenditure ÷ pupils, academy finance return (DfE Schools Financial Benchmarking, latest year). Higher spending is not a measure of quality. It often reflects greater pupil need or a smaller school. Open Government Licence v3.0.

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
94%
Continuing in education
85%
Apprenticeship
4%
Employment
4%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, latest DfE destination measures release.

Inspection history since 2015

Ofsted management information. Ungraded and monitoring visits do not award a new grade. How the two inspection systems work.

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