Shield Row Primary School

Shield Row Primary School is maintaining its status as a good school with a strong emphasis on student engagement and personal development. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, effectively linking students' learning to real-world applications and improving their aspirations. The school has fostered a supportive environment where relationships are a key strength, contributing to a happy and thriving atmosphere for students. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in ensuring that all students secure the necessary foundational knowledge before tackling advanced activities. Additionally, the teaching of early writing and phonics requires enhancement to meet the expectations set by the school leadership. Overall, the school has demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement since its last assessment in June 2018.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-structured curriculums
• Strong reading culture established from Nursery
• Excellent pupil behaviour and engagement in lessons
• High expectations for pupils leading to positive outcomes
• Robust support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• Effective management of pupil attendance and absence

Areas for Improvement

• Some activities are too ambitious for pupils lacking foundational knowledge
• Teaching of encoding skills is less effective than decoding in phonics

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 Shield Row Primary School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.0% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Shield Row 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 Shield Row Primary School had 21.2 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, 24.5% of pupils at Shield Row Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% 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 Shield Row Primary School received £8,144 and spent £8,086 for each of its 170 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £74,000 (-£436 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Tudhoe Learning Trust, income was £7,731 and spending £7,710 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 Stanley · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Shield Row Primary School is part of Tudhoe Learning Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Tudhoe Colliery Primary School Spennymoor
• South Hetton Primary Durham
• Victoria Lane Academy Bishop Auckland
• Acre Rigg Academy Peterlee
• Dene House Primary School Peterlee
• Stephenson Way Academy and Nursery School Newton Aycliffe

What is Shield Row Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shield Row Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Shield Row Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shield Row Primary School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Shield Row Primary School have?

Shield Row Primary School has 196 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shield Row Primary School cover?

Shield Row Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Shield Row Primary School?

Shield Row Primary School is at King Edward VIII Terrace, Shield Row, Stanley, County Durham, DH9 0HQ.