Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School

Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School is currently facing challenges, having been graded as requiring improvement across all key areas during its inspection. Although pupils are generally proud and happy at school, concerns about recurring conflicts and incidents of poor behavior have arisen. The school is in the process of reforming its curriculum, which is still not fully developed, leading to gaps in pupils' learning and retention of material. Additionally, attendance remains below the national average, highlighting a need for further engagement with families.

Strengths

• The school prioritises reading, helping pupils develop confidence and fluency.
• Pupils enjoy a variety of extracurricular clubs that match their interests.
• The early years provision is a happy and safe environment for children.
• Pupils have access to leadership opportunities, including environmental groups and school positions.

Areas for Improvement

• Behaviour incidents are not sufficiently recorded, leading to a lack of understanding of underlying issues.
• Support for pupils with SEND is variable, causing some to underachieve.
• The curriculum lacks coherence and does not build effectively over time.
• Too many pupils struggle with work presentation and letter formation.
• Attendance remains below the national average.

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 Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.7% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Dean Bank Primary and Nursery 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 Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.7% 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, 11.0% of pupils at Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School received £9,120 and spent £9,471 for each of its 174 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £23,000 (£129 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 Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School have?

Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School has 181 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School cover?

Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School?

Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School is at Dean Bank, Ferryhill, County Durham, DL17 8PP.