Bluebell Meadow Primary School

Bluebell Meadow Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating with outstanding behaviour and attitudes. The school, which opened in September 2020 and has not been previously inspected, provides a positive and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and are encouraged to excel. With strong leadership and a commitment to personal development, pupils enjoy a well-rounded educational experience, including a focus on reading and support for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Notable strengths include effective engagement in learning and a wide range of extracurricular activities that promote well-being.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate exemplary behaviour and positive attitudes towards learning.
• Strong leadership has improved the curriculum and student engagement.
• Well-being initiatives, such as trained ambassadors and mindfulness activities, support students' mental health.
• The early years curriculum is ambitious and prepares children well for future learning.
• There is a strong focus on reading with well-implemented phonics instruction.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not adapt the curriculum based on assessments of students' understanding.
• Component knowledge in some foundation subjects has not been clearly identified.

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 Bluebell Meadow Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.5% 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 Bluebell Meadow 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 Bluebell Meadow Primary School had 18.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.0% 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, 24.3% of pupils at Bluebell Meadow Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 Bluebell Meadow Primary School received £8,106 and spent £7,898 for each of its 212 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £65,000 (-£309 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Eden Academy Trust Limited, income was £8,574 and spending £8,304 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 County Durham · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Bluebell Meadow Primary School is part of Eden Academy Trust Limited, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Fishburn Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Eskdale Academy Hartlepool
• Jesmond Gardens Primary School Hartlepool
• Stranton Primary School Hartlepool

What is Bluebell Meadow Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bluebell Meadow Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Bluebell Meadow Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bluebell Meadow Primary School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Bluebell Meadow Primary School have?

Bluebell Meadow Primary School has 210 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bluebell Meadow Primary School cover?

Bluebell Meadow Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bluebell Meadow Primary School?

Bluebell Meadow Primary School is at Elwick View, Trimdon Station, County Durham, TS29 6JU.