High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School

High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School is a small, inclusive Church of England primary school that provides a calm, caring and productive environment. Pupils behave excellently, attend regularly and feel safe, and reading is a clear strength. Most pupils, including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged, progress well from their starting points, and leadership, governance and trust support are effective. Most areas of the school are working securely, with attendance and behaviour particularly strong. Leaders know their priorities and have begun improving writing and early years provision, but writing progress remains slower for a minority of pupils, disadvantaged pupils' attainment is below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, and the impact of interventions is not evaluated precisely enough. Early years children generally settle well, although a minority rely too much on adults to solve problems for them. The school is part of Melrose Learning Trust and has a Christian character. It recently opened nursery provision for three- and four-year-olds, and leaders are working with the trust to embed recent curriculum and early years changes so that all pupils secure foundational knowledge and skills in good time.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is excellent across the school and bullying is incredibly rare.
• Attendance is strong because pupils enjoy school and leaders promote high attendance effectively.
• Reading is prioritised from the early years and many pupils develop a love of reading.
• The curriculum is well sequenced and teachers adapt learning effectively for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Inclusion is effective, with pupils with SEND accessing learning alongside their peers and feeling a strong sense of belonging.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with governors and trustees providing appropriate support and challenge.
• The trust provides high-quality training, quality assurance and networking opportunities.
• Personal development is thoughtfully planned, with strong pastoral care and a wide range of enrichment opportunities.
• Early years provision has been improved, with a stronger learning environment and a clear focus on phonics and reading.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel well supported by leaders and the trust.

Areas for Improvement

• Writing progress is slower for a minority of pupils than in reading and mathematics.
• The writing curriculum needs further strengthening so pupils secure knowledge and skills quickly.
• Leaders do not evaluate the impact of interventions precisely enough, so some pupils do not catch up as quickly as they should.
• A minority of early years children rely on adults to find solutions for them rather than developing independence.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ attainment is below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, with a particularly large gap in writing.

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 High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at High Coniscliffe CofE 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 High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School had 17.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% 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, 18.8% of pupils at High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% 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 High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School received £7,861 and spent £8,421 for each of its 95 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £20,000 (-£207 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Melrose Learning Trust, income was £6,415 and spending £6,505 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

High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School is part of Melrose Learning Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School Darlington
• Abbey Junior School Darlington
• Abbey Infants' School Darlington
• Rosa Street Primary and Nursery Academy Spennymoor
• Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy Ferryhill
• Wynyard Church of England Primary School Wynyard
• Prior's Mill CofE Primary School Billingham
• St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham Durham
• Esh CofE (Aided) Primary School Durham
• Hutton Henry CofE (Controlled) Primary School Hartlepool

What is High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School have?

High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School has 96 pupils on roll.

What age range does High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School cover?

High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School?

High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School is at Ulnaby Lane, High Coniscliffe, Darlington, County Durham, DL2 2LL.