Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a rating of 'Good' in most areas and 'Outstanding' in leadership and management. The school has developed a strong community ethos centered on the well-being and education of its pupils. Staff members build positive relationships with families, contributing to a supportive environment where children feel safe and enjoy learning. Although some subjects like art and design have not been fully integrated into the curriculum yet, the leadership team shows commitment to enhancing the educational experience for all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is the first inspection since the school was converted to an academy and is considered a significant step in its development.

Strengths

• Strong leadership and management
• Positive relationships between staff, students, and the community
• High levels of safety and well-being among pupils
• Effective support for students with SEND
• Structured and systematic approach to teaching phonics
• A rich variety of extra-curricular clubs and activities

Areas for Improvement

• Gaps in knowledge due to recent curriculum changes
• Underdeveloped outdoor learning environment in early years

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 Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.2% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic 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 Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% 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, 13.6% of pupils at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic 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 Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School received £8,600 and spent £7,896 for each of its 206 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £301,000 (£1,459 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,338 and spending £7,295 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 Peterlee · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which runs 31 schools. The nearest others:

• St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College Peterlee
• Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School Peterlee
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall Hartlepool
• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Shotton Durham
• St Marys Catholic Primary School, Wingate Co Durham
• St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley Durham
• St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School Seaham
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Seaham Seaham
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Ryhope Sunderland
• St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth Sunderland

What is Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School have?

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School has 191 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School cover?

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School?

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School is at Westway, Peterlee, County Durham, SR8 1DE.