Ouston Primary School

Ouston Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive primary school where pupils are well cared for and achieve well. Safeguarding standards are met. The school's inclusion work is a standout strength: leaders are passionate about supporting vulnerable pupils, those with SEND, and children in care, with the 'learning lab' providing expertly tailored provision. Parents and carers are closely involved, and pupil premium funding is used strategically, particularly to improve attendance. Across the rest of the school, provision is at the expected standard. Pupils behave well, attendance is above national averages, and pupils enjoy school. Teaching is generally purposeful, with effective use of morning tasks, flashback questions, and learning questions. The early years curriculum is well designed, and pupils leave Year 6 ready for secondary school. Leadership is well informed, governance is effective, and staff benefit from rich professional development. Two areas for refinement remain. The personal development programme's impact is variable, with pupils' understanding of different religions and cultures less developed. In some classrooms, pupils need more time to engage with tasks and deepen understanding, and the balance of direct teaching and independent work needs review. The school is part of Jigsaw Learning Trust and is led by two co-headteachers.

Strengths

• Highly effective inclusion and support for vulnerable pupils, including those with SEND and children in care
• Expertly tailored 'learning lab' provision for pupils with complex SEND
• Swift and accurate identification and assessment of vulnerable pupils' needs
• Highly effective support plans and meticulous monitoring of barriers to learning
• Strong partnership with parents and carers in supporting vulnerable pupils
• Strategic use of pupil premium funding, notably improving disadvantaged pupils' attendance
• Pupils achieve well and produce high-quality work across the curriculum, especially in computing
• Strong phonics and early writing/handwriting focus, with children well prepared for Year 1
• Attendance is above national averages with very few persistently absent pupils
• Pupils behave well, show respect, and classrooms are calm and happy places
• Effective behaviour interventions, including reflection rooms and individual plans; bullying is rare
• Purposeful teaching with small steps, probing questions, and checks for understanding
• Effective use of morning tasks, flashback questions, and learning questions to embed learning
• Varied curriculum presentation methods, including animation, photography, and game design
• Well-designed early years curriculum with high expectations and strong communication focus
• Leadership is committed to inclusion and maintains positive relationships with parents
• Governance is skilled and effective in support and challenge, including statutory duties
• Rich professional learning and coaching, with staff wellbeing prioritised
• Comprehensive personal development programme with extensive extracurricular and residential opportunities
• Pupils develop confidence, resilience, and responsibility, ready for secondary school

Areas for Improvement

• Personal development programme impact is variable, with pupils' understanding of different religions and cultures less developed
• In some classrooms, pupils need more time to engage with tasks and deepen understanding, and the balance of direct teaching and independent work needs refinement

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 Ouston Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.2% 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 Ouston 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 Ouston Primary School had 24.3 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, 16.2% of pupils at Ouston Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.4% 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 Ouston Primary School received £6,087 and spent £6,066 for each of its 242 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £284,000 (£1,176 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Jigsaw Learning Trust, income was £6,325 and spending £6,330 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 Chester Le Street · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Ouston Primary School is part of Jigsaw Learning Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Fulwell Infant School Academy Sunderland

What is Ouston Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ouston Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Ouston Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ouston Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Ouston Primary School have?

Ouston Primary School has 259 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ouston Primary School cover?

Ouston Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ouston Primary School?

Ouston Primary School is at Arisaig, Ouston, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH2 1RQ.