Heathfield Primary School

Heathfield Primary has shown significant improvement since its last inspection, moving from a previous assessment of 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good' across all evaluation areas. The leadership team's ambition for high achievement is evident, as they have developed a well-structured curriculum that supports a broad range of subjects, particularly excelling in history, geography, and science. While pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support, the school is still working on improving attendance rates and closing learning gaps in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, especially for older pupils.

Strengths

• Leaders have transformed the school with high ambitions for all pupils.
• Pupils achieve well and most leave Year 6 ready for secondary school.
• Curriculum planning is strong in history, geography, and science.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and effectively deliver the curriculum.
• Reading instruction, particularly phonics, is prioritized and well-taught.
• Behaviour of pupils has markedly improved, creating a calm learning environment.
• Pupils are happy, feel safe, and most look forward to school.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance rates need improvement, particularly for vulnerable groups.
• Some pupils still have gaps in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
• Inconsistent retention strategies in subjects outside of mathematics.

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 Heathfield Primary School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.9% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Heathfield 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 Heathfield Primary School had 22.9 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, 10.9% of pupils at Heathfield Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 4 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 2024–25 Heathfield Primary School received £7,151 and spent £7,233 for each of its 420 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £106,000 (£254 per pupil).

Across all 24 schools of Lingfield Education Trust, income was £6,737 and spending £6,759 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 Darlington · Darlington local authority: places and applications

Heathfield Primary School is part of Lingfield Education Trust, which runs 26 schools. The nearest others:

• Northwood Primary School Darlington
• Corporation Road Community Primary School Darlington
• Hurworth Primary School Darlington
• West Park Academy Darlington
• Mount Pleasant Primary School Darlington
• Durham Lane Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Vane Road Primary School Newton Aycliffe
• Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery Newton Aycliffe
• Preston Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Ingleby Mill Primary School Stockton-On-Tees

What is Heathfield Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Heathfield Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Heathfield Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Heathfield Primary School have?

Heathfield Primary School has 439 pupils on roll.

What age range does Heathfield Primary School cover?

Heathfield Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Heathfield Primary School?

Heathfield Primary School is at The Broadway, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 1EJ.