Cockton Hill Junior School

Cockton Hill Junior School is a welcoming and nurturing school where pupils are happy, feel safe and attend well. Attendance has improved and is now close to average, behaviour is positive, bullying is rare and safeguarding standards are met. Leaders work closely with families and external agencies, and the school has a strong inclusive culture, with pupils who are new to the school or the country settling quickly. Personal development is a clear strength: pupils learn about healthy relationships, online safety, mental wellbeing and British Values, and they benefit from a wide range of opportunities. However, pupils' academic achievement requires attention. Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics over time has typically been below national averages, disadvantaged pupils have persistent gaps, and pupils' knowledge across different subjects is variable. Curriculum and teaching also require attention: teaching is not consistently effective, writing is a particular weakness because spelling and handwriting are not secured, and assessment in wider subjects is not well established, so teachers do not always know what pupils know. Leaders understand these weaknesses and have begun suitable improvement work, especially in reading and mathematics, but the impact is not yet evident. The school is smaller than average, with 203 pupils, and serves a community with well-above-average free school meals and SEN support, plus above-average deprivation. This was a full section 5 inspection. Leaders have responded to the previous inspection's areas for improvement, and governors are committed, but they sometimes lack the information needed to rigorously check leaders' impact. The next steps focus on improving writing outcomes, making curriculum teaching and assessment consistently strong, and strengthening governor oversight.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are identified and acted upon.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and well supported, and attendance has improved.
• Persistent absence is close to average and few pupils are persistently absent.
• The school has a positive, friendly atmosphere with respectful relationships.
• Bullying and discriminatory behaviour are rare, and pupils trust staff to resolve concerns.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and during social times, playing and cooperating together.
• Leaders work effectively with external agencies, parents and carers to identify barriers to learning and wellbeing.
• The school has a strong inclusive culture, and new pupils are welcomed and settle quickly.
• Leaders have sharp oversight of disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and pupils known to children's social care.
• Pupil premium funding is used purposefully to reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious and logically ordered in all subjects.
• Staff adapt teaching well so pupils with barriers to learning can access the curriculum.
• The personal development programme prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Pupils develop age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships, consent, online safety and mental wellbeing.
• Pupils celebrate difference and act as positive role models, including through pupil parliament groups.
• Leaders are considerate of staff workload and wellbeing, and staff are proud to work at the school.
• Teaching of reading and mathematics has begun to improve, and phonics support helps pupils catch up.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement requires attention: pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics over time has typically been below national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils continue to have gaps in their knowledge of reading, writing and number.
• Some pupils do not secure the foundational knowledge needed to write fluently and accurately.
• Pupils' knowledge across different subjects is variable, and teachers do not have a clear picture of what pupils know.
• In some subjects, pupils struggle to remember their learning and the quality of written work is inconsistent.
• Curriculum and teaching require attention because teaching is not consistently effective across subjects.
• Work to improve the teaching of writing is at an early stage; spelling and handwriting are not secured.
• Assessment in wider subjects is not well established, so some pupils do not build knowledge securely.
• Leaders' work to ensure consistently effective teaching is ongoing, and the impact is not yet evident in pupils' achievement.
• Governors sometimes lack the information they need to rigorously check that leaders' actions have the intended impact.
• Pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, are not as well prepared as they should be for their next steps, particularly in writing.
• Leaders should continue work to increase the proportion of pupils attaining well at the end of Year 6, especially in writing.
• Leaders should ensure the curriculum is taught consistently well across all subjects and year groups.
• Assessment systems should be used purposefully so pupils gain secure knowledge and understanding in each subject.
• Governors should receive suitable information about the impact of recent curriculum and teaching improvements.

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 Cockton Hill Junior School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.5% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Cockton Hill Junior 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 Cockton Hill Junior School had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 25.1% of pupils at Cockton Hill Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 Cockton Hill Junior School received £9,019 and spent £8,812 for each of its 187 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £463,000 (£2,475 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 Bishop Auckland · County Durham local authority: places and applications

What is Cockton Hill Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Cockton Hill Junior School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Cockton Hill Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Cockton Hill Junior School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Cockton Hill Junior School have?

Cockton Hill Junior School has 187 pupils on roll.

What age range does Cockton Hill Junior School cover?

Cockton Hill Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Cockton Hill Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Cockton Hill Junior School?

Cockton Hill Junior School is at McIntyre Terrace, Cockton Hill, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 6HW.