Sherburn Primary School

Sherburn Primary School has effectively maintained the standards identified in its previous inspection, reflecting strong overall performance and a commitment to high expectations in learning and behavior. Pupils enjoy a supportive and engaging learning environment, which fosters positive relationships and active participation in both academic and extracurricular activities. The school promotes a love of reading and emphasizes important life skills through various curricular and extracurricular programs. Although there are notable accomplishments, concerns regarding consistency in knowledge retention and attendance among some students remain.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a caring and engaging learning environment.
• High expectations for behavior and learning lead to strong pupil engagement.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Strong emphasis on reading and tailored phonics support.
• Rich extracurricular experiences enhance pupil independence and teamwork skills.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistency in knowledge retention across some subjects.
• Low attendance rates for some pupils affecting their learning opportunities.

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 Sherburn Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.3% 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, 2.2% of pupils at Sherburn 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 Sherburn Primary School had 25.3 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, 33.5% of pupils at Sherburn Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 Sherburn Primary School received £7,553 and spent £7,429 for each of its 173 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £250,000 (£1,444 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 Durham · County Durham local authority: places and applications

What is Sherburn Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sherburn Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Sherburn Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sherburn Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Sherburn Primary School have?

Sherburn Primary School has 176 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sherburn Primary School cover?

Sherburn Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sherburn Primary School?

Sherburn Primary School is at Cookshold Lane, Sherburn Village, Durham, County Durham, DH6 1DU.