Polam Hall School

Polam Hall School is an all-through school within Woodard Academies Trust. Inspectors found it is performing securely overall: safeguarding standards are met, and most areas are at the expected standard, with personal development and well-being judged strong. Pupils are described as happy, confident and articulate, and they benefit from a calm, positive and inclusive ethos. The school's enrichment and personal development offer is a notable strength. Pupils access a broad activities programme, a thoughtful PSHE curriculum, careers work from primary, community and leadership opportunities, and nationally recognised tennis provision. Early years provision gives children a positive start, primary phonics and reading are improving, attendance is generally good, and behaviour and relationships are strong. Inclusion and leadership, including governance and trust support, are also effective. Leaders' main priorities are to secure greater consistency in curriculum delivery and quality assurance, and to improve outcomes for some pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils. GCSE results are broadly in line overall, but some subjects and cohorts underperform, and disadvantaged pupils' key stage 4 outcomes in English and maths, attainment and progress lag behind national figures. The next steps focus on using quality assurance to spread the strongest teaching and on whole-school strategies to help disadvantaged pupils achieve consistently well.

Strengths

• Rich and diverse personal development and enrichment programme
• Strong PSHE curriculum that broadens pupils' understanding of beliefs and cultures
• Pupils are confident, articulate and embody the school values
• Wide range of activities, including performance, volunteering, sports and careers
• Nationally recognised tennis provision
• Careers programme that develops ambition from primary school
• Calm, positive school culture with warm relationships and good behaviour
• Improving attendance supported by close monitoring and pastoral care
• Effective early years provision with strong phonics and communication support
• Improved phonics and secure primary knowledge across English, maths and wider curriculum
• Inclusive support for pupils with SEND, including tailored in-house provision
• Clear leadership, effective governance and strong trust support
• Staff training and subject networks develop expertise

Areas for Improvement

• Some GCSE subjects and cohorts do not achieve as well as they could
• Disadvantaged pupils' key stage 4 outcomes in English and maths, attainment and progress lag behind national figures
• Curriculum delivery and teaching quality are not yet consistent across the school
• Teachers need to check learning more effectively during lessons
• Leaders need to spread the strongest practice through quality assurance
• Whole-school strategies for disadvantaged pupils need further development so they achieve consistently well

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 Polam Hall School attended 92.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 6.8% of pupils at Polam Hall School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Polam Hall School had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 10.7% of pupils at Polam Hall School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Polam Hall School received £7,492 and spent £7,627 for each of its 841 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £1,198,000 (-£1,424 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Woodard Academies Trust, income was £7,873 and spending £7,857 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

Polam Hall School is part of Woodard Academies Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Kings Priory School North Shields
• St Peter's CofE Academy Stoke-On-Trent
• St Augustine Academy Maidstone
• The Littlehampton Academy Littlehampton
• The Sir Robert Woodard Academy Sompting

What is Polam Hall School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Polam Hall School is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Polam Hall School last inspected by Ofsted?

Polam Hall School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Polam Hall School have?

Polam Hall School has 842 pupils on roll.

What age range does Polam Hall School cover?

Polam Hall School for pupils aged 4 to 16.

What are Polam Hall School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.9, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Polam Hall School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Polam Hall School?

Polam Hall School is at Grange Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 5PA.