Brandon Primary Academy

Brandon Primary Academy is a nurturing and ambitious school where pupils are proud to attend. This was its first routine section 5 inspection, and the school joined the Advance Learning Partnership in 2022. Inspectors found the school performing well across education, behaviour, personal development, leadership and early years, with no overall effectiveness grade under the current framework. Pupils benefit from a well-sequenced curriculum, strong vocabulary teaching, effective early reading and a well-designed early years provision. Pupils with SEND are generally well included and achieve well, and safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Strengths

• Nurturing and ambitious environment with a strong sense of belonging
• Well-sequenced curriculum that helps pupils remember learning over time
• Strong focus on vocabulary across lessons and conversations
• Effective support and inclusion for pupils with SEND
• Strong early reading provision with timely support for pupils who struggle
• Well-designed early years provision that prepares children for Year 1
• Pupils behave well and are engaged in lessons
• Wide enrichment opportunities and leadership roles that build character
• Effective leadership, governance and trust support
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• SEND needs are not always reviewed quickly or precisely enough
• Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough
• Some pupils have limited understanding of other religions and aspects of equalities

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 Brandon Primary Academy attended 93.4% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Brandon Primary Academy 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 Brandon Primary Academy had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.6% 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, 30.4% of pupils at Brandon Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Brandon Primary Academy received £7,904 and spent £7,679 for each of its 285 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £512,000 (£1,796 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 Durham · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Brandon Primary Academy is part of Advance Learning Partnership, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• New Brancepeth Primary Academy Durham
• Durham Academy Durham
• Whitworth Park Academy Spennymoor
• Parkside Academy Crook
• Middlestone Moor Academy Durham
• Bowburn Primary School Bowburn
• Peases West Academy Crook
• Hunwick Primary School Crook
• Hartside Primary Academy Crook
• Edmondsley Primary Academy Durham

What is Brandon Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Brandon Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Brandon Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Brandon Primary Academy was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Brandon Primary Academy have?

Brandon Primary Academy has 280 pupils on roll.

What age range does Brandon Primary Academy cover?

Brandon Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Brandon Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Brandon Primary Academy?

Brandon Primary Academy is at Carr Avenue, Brandon, Durham, County Durham, DH7 8NL.