Nettlesworth Primary School

Nettlesworth Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its good status from previous inspections. The school boasts a supportive environment where pupils feel safe and are encouraged to excel both personally and academically. The staff are dedicated and nurturing, which contributes to a positive atmosphere and excellent pupil behaviour. The curriculum offers a strong foundation in early reading and a rich range of extracurricular activities that enhance students' learning experiences. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in the consistency of teaching methods and assessment practices across different subjects.

Strengths

• Exceptionally caring staff who make pupils feel safe and settled.
• High expectations for all pupils set by leaders.
• Excellent pupil behaviour and respectful interactions.
• A well-structured approach to early reading and phonics.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities available for pupils.
• Strong inclusion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Effective safeguarding arrangements and a culture of safety.

Areas for Improvement

• Variability in the quality of teaching related to wider reading comprehension.
• Limited opportunities for pupils to deepen their thinking and understanding.
• Inconsistent assessment approaches may miss extending pupils' learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Nettlesworth Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Nettlesworth Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Nettlesworth Primary School had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.5% of pupils at Nettlesworth Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 14.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Nettlesworth Primary School received £9,227 and spent £9,466 for each of its 105 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £110,000 (£1,051 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Chester Le Street · County Durham local authority: places and applications

What is Nettlesworth Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Nettlesworth Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Nettlesworth Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Nettlesworth Primary School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Nettlesworth Primary School have?

Nettlesworth Primary School has 105 pupils on roll.

What age range does Nettlesworth Primary School cover?

Nettlesworth Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Nettlesworth Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Nettlesworth Primary School?

Nettlesworth Primary School is at Front Street, Nettlesworth, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH2 3PF.