St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School

St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School has received its first inspection since becoming an academy and has been rated as good overall. The school exhibits a strong commitment to providing quality education, with notable strengths in student behavior and engagement. Pupils are described as happy and eager to learn, demonstrating exceptional attitudes and a clear understanding of diversity. Furthermore, support for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effectively implemented, helping these pupils to access the curriculum successfully.

Strengths

• Highly engaged and enthusiastic pupils with exceptional behavior.
• Well-designed curriculum that builds on prior knowledge.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Effective phonics program that aids reading development.
• Strong emphasis on personal, social, and health education.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent delivery of the curriculum, affecting some pupils' progress.
• Lack of clarity in the rationale for some early years tasks.

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 St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.0% 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, 0.2% of pupils at St Francis of Assisi Church of England 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 St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School had 21.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.1% 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, 11.5% of pupils at St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.3% 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 St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School received £5,898 and spent £5,780 for each of its 428 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £525,000 (£1,229 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of Dales Academies Trust, income was £7,522 and spending £7,432 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 Stockton-On-Tees · Stockton-on-Tees local authority: places and applications

St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School is part of Dales Academies Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• All Saints Church of England Academy Stockton-On-Tees
• Thornaby Church of England Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Great Smeaton Academy Primary School Northallerton
• Croft Church of England Primary School Darlington
• East Cowton Church of England Primary School Northallerton
• Oakbridge Church of England Primary School Northallerton
• Barton Church of England Primary School Richmond
• Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary School Richmond
• Ainderby Steeple Church of England Primary School Northallerton
• Eppleby Forcett Church of England Primary School Richmond

What is St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School have?

St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School has 462 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School cover?

St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School?

St Francis of Assisi Church of England Primary School is at Lowfields Avenue, Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside, TS17 5GA.