St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street

St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School has demonstrated good overall effectiveness, with notable strengths in behaviour and attitudes, which are rated as outstanding. The school fosters a strong sense of community and personal development, encouraging pupils to thrive both academically and socially. The curriculum is well-planned and ambitious, with effective support for pupils, including those with special educational needs. Notably, this is the school's first inspection since its conversion to an academy and its previous good judgments underline a steady commitment to quality education. However, while most areas of the curriculum are well-developed, there are early stages of implementation in subjects like geography, where older pupils may miss exposure to important concepts that would prepare them for future studies. Overall, the school is poised for continued improvement, actively monitoring curriculum execution to ensure all pupils are equipped with essential knowledge and skills for their educational journey ahead.

Strengths

• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes among pupils
• Strong community spirit and personal development programs
• Ambitious and well-designed curriculum
• Effective teaching with good subject knowledge
• Early reading and phonics curriculum taught consistently well
• Support for pupils with special educational needs is effective

Areas for Improvement

• Geography curriculum implementation lacks depth for older pupils

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 Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.6% 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 St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street 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 Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street had 23.2 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, 12.0% of pupils at St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street received £6,496 and spent £6,330 for each of its 215 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £31,000 (£145 per pupil).

Across all 46 schools of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,708 and spending £7,760 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

St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston Chester Le Street
• St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley Chester Le Street
• St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington
• Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw Houghton Le Spring
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston Durham
• St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley Chester Le Street
• St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St Godric's Catholic Primary School, Durham Durham
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton Houghton Le Spring

What is St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street is Good, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street last inspected by Ofsted?

St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street have?

St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street has 216 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street cover?

St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street?

St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street is at Ropery Lane, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 3PH.