Heighington Church of England Primary School

Heighington Church of England Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspected areas. The school promotes an inclusive environment that reflects its Christian values, resulting in students who are proud, polite, and respectful. Pupils are actively engaged in their learning, particularly excelling in mathematics, though there are instances where some may struggle with focus during lessons due to activities not being perfectly tailored to their needs. The leadership structure has recently been reorganized, leading to improvements in accountability and curriculum review, especially under the new headteacher appointed in May 2019.

Strengths

• Strong inclusive ethos reflecting Christian values
• Pupils display positive attitudes and are keen learners
• High standards in early reading and phonics
• Effective leadership and support from the trust
• Clear and progressive scheme for mathematics
• Well-matched books for reading practice

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects do not develop key concepts well
• Certain teachers require refresher training for effective curriculum delivery

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 Heighington Church of England Primary School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.1% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Heighington Church of England 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 Heighington Church of England Primary School had 21.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.3% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Heighington Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% 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 2024–25 Heighington Church of England Primary School received £6,320 and spent £6,679 for each of its 247 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £203,000 (£825 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, income was £7,271 and spending £7,125 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Newton Aycliffe · Darlington local authority: places and applications

Heighington Church of England Primary School is part of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Ingleton CofE Primary School Darlington
• Gainford Church of England Primary School and Preschool Darlington
• St John's Church of England Academy Darlington
• Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School Bishopton
• St. George's Church of England Academy
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Holy Trinity Rosehill CofE Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Egglescliffe Church of England Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Green Lane Church of England Primary School Barnard Castle
• St Aidan's Church of England Memorial Primary School Hartlepool

What is Heighington Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Heighington Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Heighington Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Heighington Church of England Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Heighington Church of England Primary School have?

Heighington Church of England Primary School has 248 pupils on roll.

What age range does Heighington Church of England Primary School cover?

Heighington Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Heighington Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Heighington Church of England Primary School?

Heighington Church of England Primary School is at Hopelands, Heighington, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, DL5 6PH.