Dormanstown Primary Academy

Dormanstown Primary Academy has shown significant improvement since its last inspection, now achieving a good rating across all areas evaluated. Reading has been prioritized in the curriculum, with well-stocked libraries and effective phonics instruction leading to confident readers among pupils. The school environment is safe and engaging, fostering positive behavior and a sense of community through various leadership opportunities and extracurricular activities. Although the education quality has improved, certain curricular aspects, especially history and the understanding of different faiths, need further development to ensure consistency and depth in pupil learning.

Strengths

• Effective leadership is driving significant improvements in education quality.
• The school promotes a strong reading culture with well-resourced libraries.
• Pupils feel safe, happy, and supported in their learning environment.
• The mathematics curriculum is ambitious and well-sequenced.
• Strong provisions for pupils with SEND, ensuring access to the same curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum in history requires better sequencing and clarity.
• Pupils' understanding of different world religions and viewpoints is underdeveloped.
• Inconsistencies in promoting new vocabulary in early years education.

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 Dormanstown Primary Academy attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.7% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Dormanstown Primary 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 Dormanstown Primary Academy had 14.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% 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, 17.9% of pupils at Dormanstown Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 15.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 40 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 Dormanstown Primary Academy received £10,664 and spent £10,324 for each of its 247 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £589,000 (£2,390 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Tees Valley Education, income was £12,163 and spending £12,330 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 Redcar · Redcar and Cleveland local authority: places and applications

Dormanstown Primary Academy is part of Tees Valley Education, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Wilton Primary Academy Redcar
• Brambles Primary Academy Middlesbrough
• Pennyman Primary Academy Middlesbrough
• Discovery Special Academy Middlesbrough

What is Dormanstown Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dormanstown Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in February 2024.

When was Dormanstown Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Dormanstown Primary Academy was last inspected in February 2024.

How many pupils does Dormanstown Primary Academy have?

Dormanstown Primary Academy has 274 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dormanstown Primary Academy cover?

Dormanstown Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Dormanstown Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Dormanstown Primary Academy?

Dormanstown Primary Academy is at South Avenue, Dormanstown, Redcar, Cleveland, TS10 5LY.