St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village

St Michael’s Catholic Primary School in Esh Village is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all assessed areas. The school has not been previously inspected under the current framework, and it demonstrates a strong commitment to providing a positive and supportive learning environment for its students. The curriculum is well-planned and ambitious, catering to the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Relationships among pupils and staff are warm and nurturing, contributing to a culture where pupils feel safe and happy to attend school.

Strengths

• Strong commitment to the school's mission of community and care.
• Well-planned curriculum covering national standards across subjects.
• Pupils demonstrate pride in their learning and enjoy attending school.
• Good support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Positive relationships and good behaviour are evident throughout the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders need to assess the long-term impact of recently redesigned curriculums in subjects like history and geography.
• Coverage of different cultures and British values needs further development.

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 Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.5% 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, 0.5% of pupils at St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village 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 Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village had 22.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.0% 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, 12.3% of pupils at St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village received £6,603 and spent £6,796 for each of its 191 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £38,000 (-£201 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 Durham · County Durham local authority: places and applications

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• Our Lady & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Ushaw Moor Durham
• All Saints' Catholic Primary School, Lanchester Durham
• St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester Durham
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston Durham
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Langley Moor Durham
• St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham Durham
• St Godric's Catholic Primary School, Durham Durham
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, South Moor Stanley
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Stanley Stanley
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gilesgate Durham

What is St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village is Good, from an inspection in July 2022.

When was St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village last inspected by Ofsted?

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village was last inspected in July 2022.

How many pupils does St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village have?

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village has 203 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village cover?

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village?

St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village is at Esh Village, Durham, County Durham, DH7 9QY.