Howden-le-Wear Primary School

Howden-le-Wear Primary is a good school with outstanding behaviour and attitudes, and good quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This was its first section 5 inspection; it is an academy converter within Advance Learning Partnership and was previously judged outstanding before opening as an academy. Inspectors found a strong family ethos where pupils feel safe, valued and supported, and behaviour consistently meets high expectations. Pupils achieve well in core subjects, especially mathematics, and reading is prioritised with effective phonics support. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well, including with trust expertise, and safeguarding is effective. Leadership has an accurate view of the school and staff are proud to work there. Two areas need improvement: in some foundation subjects, key knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary are not emphasised enough, so pupils do not always secure important learning; and personal development does not yet give pupils a secure understanding of different faiths and cultures.

Strengths

• Strong family ethos where pupils feel valued, supported and safe
• Outstanding behaviour and conduct across the school
• Pupils care for and look out for one another
• Mathematics is a particular strength and well taught across the school, including early years
• Reading is prioritised with effective phonics teaching and support
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and access the full curriculum
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Personal development includes a well-structured programme and wide extra-curricular opportunities
• Leadership has an accurate view and governance provides appropriate challenge and support
• Pupils' achievement in national tests is above average in mathematics and spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Newer foundation subject curriculums are well designed and becoming embedded

Areas for Improvement

• In some foundation subjects, key knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary are not sufficiently emphasised
• Pupils sometimes remember lesson activities better than the key learning
• Pupils sometimes struggle to define subject-specific vocabulary
• Personal development provision for different faiths and cultures is not entirely effective
• Pupils lack a deep understanding of different faiths and cultures and cannot talk confidently about key features of world religions

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 Howden-le-Wear Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.9% 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, 2.1% of pupils at Howden-le-Wear 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 Howden-le-Wear Primary School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% 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, 22.9% of pupils at Howden-le-Wear Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.6% 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 Howden-le-Wear Primary School received £7,164 and spent £7,932 for each of its 187 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £127,000 (-£677 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of Advance Learning Partnership, income was £8,477 and spending £8,506 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 Crook · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Howden-le-Wear Primary School is part of Advance Learning Partnership, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Witton-le-Wear Primary School Bishop Auckland
• Hartside Primary Academy Crook
• Hunwick Primary School Crook
• Peases West Academy Crook
• Parkside Academy Crook
• Bishop Barrington Academy Bishop Auckland
• Woodhouse Primary Academy Bishop Auckland
• Copeland Road Primary School Bishop Auckland
• Whitworth Park Academy Spennymoor
• Middlestone Moor Academy Durham

What is Howden-le-Wear Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Howden-le-Wear Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Howden-le-Wear Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Howden-le-Wear Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Howden-le-Wear Primary School have?

Howden-le-Wear Primary School has 179 pupils on roll.

What age range does Howden-le-Wear Primary School cover?

Howden-le-Wear Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Howden-le-Wear Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 41% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Howden-le-Wear Primary School?

Howden-le-Wear Primary School is at School Street, Howden-le-Wear, Crook, County Durham, DL15 8HJ.