Montalbo Nursery & Primary School

Montalbo Nursery & Primary School has significantly improved since its previous inspection, moving from a Good to an Outstanding rating across all categories. The school delivers an exceptional quality of education, with leaders setting and meeting high expectations for student achievement. Pupils thrive in a supportive and engaging environment where they feel safe and valued. Parents express overwhelming satisfaction with their children's educational experiences, highlighting the successful implementation of an ambitious and carefully planned curriculum that fosters learning both inside and outside the classroom.

Strengths

• Exceptional quality of education
• High expectations set by leaders
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and attitudes
• Strong commitment to reading excellence
• Highly effective support for pupils with special educational needs
• Outstanding personal development opportunities
• Strong governance and effective staff development

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 Montalbo Nursery & Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.9% 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 Montalbo Nursery & 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 Montalbo Nursery & Primary School had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% 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, 9.2% of pupils at Montalbo Nursery & 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 Montalbo Nursery & Primary School received £6,756 and spent £6,688 for each of its 234 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £1,000 (-£5 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 Barnard Castle · County Durham local authority: places and applications

What is Montalbo Nursery & Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Montalbo Nursery & Primary School is Outstanding, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Montalbo Nursery & Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Montalbo Nursery & Primary School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Montalbo Nursery & Primary School have?

Montalbo Nursery & Primary School has 240 pupils on roll.

What age range does Montalbo Nursery & Primary School cover?

Montalbo Nursery & Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Montalbo Nursery & Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Montalbo Nursery & Primary School?

Montalbo Nursery & Primary School is at Fairfield Road, Barnard Castle, County Durham, DL12 8TN.