Red Hall Primary School

Red Hall Primary is a happy, caring and purposeful school where pupils are polite, welcoming and inquisitive. Inspectors found the school performing well across its key areas, with a high-quality curriculum, high expectations and effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including the Strive resourced provision. Early years work is a particular strength: from the two-year-old Lullaby Lane provision, staff build communication and language, and phonics teaching is effective with careful checks and targeted support. Most pupils behave well, pastoral care is strong, safeguarding is effective, and the wider programme helps pupils develop respectful attitudes and prepares them for life beyond school. There are nevertheless important areas for improvement. Some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge that are not identified and addressed well enough, which can make learning harder. Persistent absence is high, meaning some pupils miss out on school and struggle to catch up when they return. Published national test outcomes do not yet fully reflect the progress pupils make from low starting points. The school has seen significant staffing and governance change since the previous inspection and serves a community with a well-above-average proportion of disadvantaged pupils; leaders, governors and staff are described as committed and supportive.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, polite, welcoming and inquisitive, with warm relationships and a calm learning atmosphere.
• The curriculum is high quality, meets pupils' needs and is underpinned by high expectations.
• Staff identify pupils' needs well and support pupils with SEND effectively, including through the Strive provision.
• Early years provision builds communication and language from age two and fosters a love of rhyme, songs and stories.
• Phonics teaching is effective, with careful checks and targeted support helping pupils become fluent readers.
• Older pupils develop knowledge and skills well across subjects and make meaningful cross-curricular links.
• Most pupils behave positively, and sensitive support is available for pupils who find behaviour difficult.
• Pastoral support is strong, pupils feel safe and safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The wider development programme promotes respect and inclusion and prepares pupils well for life beyond school.
• Governors are committed and knowledgeable, and leaders consider staff workload and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge that are not identified and addressed well enough, so they struggle to learn effectively.
• Persistent absence is too high, meaning some pupils miss out on education and struggle to catch up when they return.
• Published national test outcomes do not fully reflect pupils' progress from low starting points.

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 Red Hall Primary School attended 91.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 31.1% 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, 15.1% of pupils at Red Hall 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 Red Hall Primary School had 19.1 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, 37.2% of pupils at Red Hall Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 10 pupils.

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 Red Hall Primary School received £10,097 and spent £11,006 for each of its 192 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £18,000 (-£95 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 Darlington · Darlington local authority: places and applications

What is Red Hall Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Red Hall Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Red Hall Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Red Hall Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Red Hall Primary School have?

Red Hall Primary School has 207 pupils on roll.

What age range does Red Hall Primary School cover?

Red Hall Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 25% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Red Hall Primary School?

Red Hall Primary School is at Headingley Crescent, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 2ST.