Shotton Primary School

Shotton Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, cared for and a sense of belonging. Safeguarding standards are met, early years provision is a notable strength, and inclusion is effective: pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and others with barriers to learning are well supported, with bespoke help and strong staff training. By the end of Year 6, most pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, and disadvantaged pupils achieve particularly well in mathematics. Leadership is ambitious, staff morale is high, and governors fulfil their duties well. However, the school is not yet consistently strong across the curriculum. Achievement is variable in some subjects, with pupils in key stage 2 sometimes struggling with handwriting, capital letters and punctuation, and some pupils unable to recall learning in depth in subjects such as science and history. The quality of curriculum and assessment is uneven outside English, phonics and mathematics, and not enough pupils have met expected standards in the Year 1 phonics screening check or Year 4 multiplication check over time. Attendance has been significantly below national averages, and persistent absence is high, although recent actions are beginning to have an impact. Behaviour is generally good, but some girls tolerate unkind comments from boys without reporting them, and suspension rates remain high. Personal development is broad and enriched by visits, music and wellbeing activities, but pupils are at an early stage of understanding fundamental British values and protected characteristics. Leaders have rightly identified the need to strengthen relationships with some parents and carers, including those of pupils with SEND, and further work is needed to ensure all subjects are of equal quality.

Strengths

• Early years provision is inspiring, well resourced and highly effective in building vocabulary and communication.
• Children develop a secure grasp of reading and writing through a precise and consistently well-taught phonics programme.
• Children develop a love of books and are well prepared for Year 1 by the end of Reception.
• Inclusion is diligent and effective, with strong support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those known to social care.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, particularly in mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Pupils feel safe, included and cared for, and generally behave well with warm relationships with staff.
• Leaders are ambitious, staff morale is high, and professional development is well planned and valued.
• Governance is knowledgeable and effective, providing appropriate support and challenge to leaders.
• Personal development is enriched through visits, music opportunities, wellbeing specialists and online safety teaching.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which concerns are actively identified and managed.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is variable across the curriculum, with weaker recall and understanding in subjects such as science and history.
• Some key stage 2 pupils struggle to write legibly and use capital letters and punctuation accurately.
• Over time, not enough pupils have met the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check or Year 4 multiplication check.
• Attendance has been significantly below national averages, and persistent absence remains high.
• Some girls tolerate unkind comments from boys and do not report them, so staff do not record or address such incidents.
• The frequency of suspensions remains high.
• Curriculum quality and implementation are variable in subjects beyond English, phonics and geography, and some lesson tasks do not develop subject-specific knowledge.
• Assessment checks are inconsistent across subjects, making it harder for staff to identify and close gaps.
• Pupils are at an early stage of understanding fundamental British values and protected characteristics.
• Communication and relationships with some parents and carers, including those of pupils with SEND, need strengthening.
• Further work is needed to ensure all subjects are of consistently high quality.

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 Shotton Primary School attended 91.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 32.1% 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, 3.1% of pupils at Shotton 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 Shotton Primary School had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% 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, 19.0% of pupils at Shotton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.5% 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 Shotton Primary School received £9,074 and spent £9,097 for each of its 274 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £287,000 (£1,047 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).

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What is Shotton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shotton Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Shotton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shotton Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Shotton Primary School have?

Shotton Primary School has 289 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shotton Primary School cover?

Shotton Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Shotton Primary School?

Shotton Primary School is at Grange Terrace, Shotton Colliery, County Durham, DH6 2JP.