Middlestone Moor Academy

Middlestone Moor Academy is performing well across various domains, with notable strengths in safeguarding, personal development, and pupil achievement in Key Stage 2. Leaders have established a positive and inclusive environment where safeguarding is prioritized, creating a sense of safety for students. The personal development programs are effective in promoting students' well-being, allowing them to engage in learning and build confidence. Additionally, students' academic performance in Key Stage 2 meets national expectations, reflecting the guidance and support they receive from their teachers. However, the school is still addressing some concerns, particularly in the early years where the curriculum does not consistently enable children to build knowledge effectively. There are issues with the development of phonics and early reading skills in some younger students, indicating areas that require improvement. Overall, while the school is performing well, ongoing efforts to enhance the early years and lower Key Stage 1 are necessary to ensure all pupils achieve their potential.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding standards are in place.
• Effective pastoral support is provided for pupils experiencing personal challenges.
• High expectations for pupils to become positive, confident citizens.
• Well-developed PSHE curriculum that meets pupils' needs.
• Ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum across key stages.
• Strong improvements in attendance over time.
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils.
• Leaders demonstrate high expectations for all pupils' learning.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in the early years curriculum affecting children's knowledge development.
• Some children do not develop phonics and reading skills as well as they could.
• Less effective teaching impacting engagement and learning time in key stage 1.

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 Middlestone Moor Academy attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.9% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Middlestone Moor Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Middlestone Moor Academy had 27.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.9% 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, 16.2% of pupils at Middlestone Moor Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% 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 Middlestone Moor Academy received £7,534 and spent £7,265 for each of its 255 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £559,000 (£2,196 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

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

• Whitworth Park Academy Spennymoor
• Parkside Academy Crook
• Hunwick Primary School Crook
• Brandon Primary Academy Durham
• Bishop Barrington Academy Bishop Auckland
• Woodhouse Primary Academy Bishop Auckland
• Bowburn Primary School Bowburn
• Greenfield Academy Newton Aycliffe
• New Brancepeth Primary Academy Durham
• Howden-le-Wear Primary School Crook

What is Middlestone Moor Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Middlestone Moor Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Middlestone Moor Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Middlestone Moor Academy was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Middlestone Moor Academy have?

Middlestone Moor Academy has 265 pupils on roll.

What age range does Middlestone Moor Academy cover?

Middlestone Moor Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Middlestone Moor Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Middlestone Moor Academy?

Middlestone Moor Academy is at Rock Road, Durham, County Durham, DL16 7DA.