West Cornforth Primary School

West Cornforth Primary School is a happy, caring community school where pupils feel safe and relationships are warm and respectful. Inspectors found all key judgements—quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision—to be good. This was the school’s second routine inspection since the pandemic, and its previous inspection grade was outstanding. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, happy and cared for, with warm relationships and a strong sense of belonging.
• Pupils behave well in and out of lessons; bullying is very rare and concerns are handled promptly.
• The school sets high expectations and pupils take pride in their work and typically achieve well.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, builds knowledge over time and is accessed by pupils with SEND alongside their peers.
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and precisely, and receive tailored support that helps them make secure progress.
• Children get off to a strong start in early years, including through carefully taught phonics and quick catch-up support.
• Mathematics teaching uses regular practice and checking to help pupils apply skills confidently.
• A wide range of clubs, trips and leadership roles enriches pupils’ learning and wider development.
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and learn how to keep themselves and others safe, including online.
• Leaders have a strong vision, governors support and challenge effectively, and staff feel supported with manageable workloads.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment checks in some subjects are not precise enough to show how well pupils have learned and remembered the curriculum.
• In some subjects, subsequent learning does not always address gaps or provide sufficient challenge, so some pupils do not build or deepen knowledge well.
• Attendance is still too low for a significant number of pupils despite gradual improvement for some.
• The school’s attendance strategies are not having the intended impact for all pupils, meaning too many miss important learning and enrichment.

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 West Cornforth Primary School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.5% 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, 1.6% of pupils at West Cornforth Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 West Cornforth Primary School had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.8% 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, 17.1% of pupils at West Cornforth Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.2% 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 West Cornforth Primary School received £8,416 and spent £8,155 for each of its 236 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £553,000 (£2,345 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 Ferryhill · County Durham local authority: places and applications

What is West Cornforth Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for West Cornforth Primary School is Good, from an inspection in October 2025.

When was West Cornforth Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

West Cornforth Primary School was last inspected in October 2025.

How many pupils does West Cornforth Primary School have?

West Cornforth Primary School has 251 pupils on roll.

What age range does West Cornforth Primary School cover?

West Cornforth Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is West Cornforth Primary School?

West Cornforth Primary School is at High Street, West Cornforth, Ferryhill, County Durham, DL17 9HP.