Gurney Pease Academy

Gurney Pease Academy demonstrates a nurturing and safe environment where pupils feel valued and supported. Leaders prioritize safeguarding and emotional wellbeing, contributing to a positive school culture. Attendance is steadily improving, although it is still below the national average. The school has made notable improvements in certain areas, particularly in relation to the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring they receive the necessary assistance to thrive academically and socially.

Strengths

• Strong focus on safeguarding and creating a safe environment for pupils.
• Effective support systems for pupils with SEND, especially in managing emotions.
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils, fostering a sense of belonging.
• High-quality early years education promoting language development.
• High levels of engagement and enjoyment in school activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent achievement across the school, particularly in younger year groups.
• Variability in the quality of teaching affecting pupil outcomes.
• Gaps in pupils' knowledge not closing as quickly as needed in reading, writing, and 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 Gurney Pease Academy attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.4% 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, 3.0% of pupils at Gurney Pease Academy 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 Gurney Pease Academy had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.7% 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, 19.4% of pupils at Gurney Pease Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 Gurney Pease Academy received £8,256 and spent £8,468 for each of its 191 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £366,000 (£1,919 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of The Education Village Academy Trust, income was £11,154 and spending £10,724 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

Gurney Pease Academy is part of The Education Village Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Springfield Academy Darlington
• Haughton Academy Darlington
• Beaumont Hill Academy Darlington
• Reid Street Primary School Darlington
• Whinfield Primary School Darlington
• Marchbank Free School Darlington

What is Gurney Pease Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Gurney Pease Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in April 2026.

When was Gurney Pease Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Gurney Pease Academy was last inspected in April 2026.

How many pupils does Gurney Pease Academy have?

Gurney Pease Academy has 191 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gurney Pease Academy cover?

Gurney Pease Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Gurney Pease Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Gurney Pease Academy?

Gurney Pease Academy is at Dodsworth Street, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 2NG.