St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont

St Thomas More Catholic Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all key areas including the quality of education, behavior, and leadership. Pupils at the school are described as happy and safe, with a strong focus on creating a caring and supportive atmosphere. The school has made significant progress in areas like reading and mathematics, with leaders ensuring effective planning and teaching, contributing to good outcomes for pupils. Personal development is notably strong, and pupils engage positively in their learning and social activities.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in reading and mathematics.
• Strong emphasis on personal development and environmental awareness.
• Happy and safe learning environment with rare incidents of bullying.
• Effective leadership that supports curriculum development.
• Early years provision supports children's social and academic development.

Areas for Improvement

• Some foundation subjects' planning and checks on learning are not fully completed.
• Adaptations to tasks for pupils with SEND are sometimes insufficient.

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 Thomas More Primary School, Belmont attended 97.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.5% 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 St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont 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 Thomas More Primary School, Belmont had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.4% 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, 13.1% of pupils at St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Thomas More Primary School, Belmont received £8,128 and spent £9,091 for each of its 97 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £170,000 (-£1,755 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 County Durham · County Durham local authority: places and applications

St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gilesgate Durham
• St Godric's Catholic Primary School, Durham Durham
• St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham Durham
• St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton Houghton Le Spring
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Langley Moor Durham
• Our Lady & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Ushaw Moor Durham
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston Durham
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street Chester Le Street
• Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw Houghton Le Spring
• St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Esh Village Durham

What is St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont last inspected by Ofsted?

St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont have?

St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont has 107 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont cover?

St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont?

St Thomas More Primary School, Belmont is at Thorndale Road, Belmont, DH1 2AQ.