Mount Pleasant Primary School

Mount Pleasant Primary School demonstrates a strong performance overall, categorized as good in several areas such as the quality of education, personal development, and leadership. Noteworthy aspects include exceptional pupil behavior, with a well-established community atmosphere that fosters support among students. The school's curriculum is ambitious, particularly for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and there is evidence of strong training for staff, which has a positive impact on pupils’ learning experiences. With no previous inspections under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, this report marks a significant assessment of the school's performance since the pandemic.

Strengths

• Exceptional pupil behaviour with high levels of concentration.
• Strong support for pupils with SEND from well-trained staff.
• Ambitious curriculum that deepens knowledge and skills over time.
• Effective strategies for personal development and community involvement.
• High staff morale supported by collaborative approaches across the trust.

Areas for Improvement

• Activities in early years are not sufficiently personalised.
• Insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop debating and discussion skills.

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 Mount Pleasant Primary School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant Primary School had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.2% 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, 22.0% of pupils at Mount Pleasant Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 22 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 Mount Pleasant Primary School received £9,579 and spent £9,402 for each of its 247 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £219,000 (£888 per pupil).

Across all 24 schools of Lingfield Education Trust, income was £6,737 and spending £6,759 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

Mount Pleasant Primary School is part of Lingfield Education Trust, which runs 26 schools. The nearest others:

• West Park Academy Darlington
• Corporation Road Community Primary School Darlington
• Northwood Primary School Darlington
• Heathfield Primary School Darlington
• Hurworth Primary School Darlington
• Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery Newton Aycliffe
• Vane Road Primary School Newton Aycliffe
• Prince Bishops Community Primary School Bishop Auckland
• Durham Lane Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Preston Primary School Stockton-On-Tees

What is Mount Pleasant Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mount Pleasant Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Mount Pleasant Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mount Pleasant Primary School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Mount Pleasant Primary School have?

Mount Pleasant Primary School has 259 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mount Pleasant Primary School cover?

Mount Pleasant Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Mount Pleasant Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Mount Pleasant Primary School?

Mount Pleasant Primary School is at Newton Lane, Mount Pleasant Primary School, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 9HE.