Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery

Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery has undergone significant change, joining Lingfield Education Trust in 2023 and appointing a new headteacher in 2025. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and most areas at the expected standard. Pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages, including disadvantaged pupils, and Year 4 multiplication outcomes are above average. Behaviour has improved significantly, attendance is improving, and the school is calm and purposeful. Leaders have changed the culture, with strong trust support, a broad curriculum, effective SEND adaptations, and a wide enrichment and personal development offer.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Pupils achieve broadly in line with national averages, including disadvantaged pupils.
• Year 4 pupils typically achieve above the national average in the multiplication tables check.
• Behaviour has improved significantly and the school is calm and orderly.
• Attendance is improving, and disadvantaged pupils attend in line with their national peers.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and supported by ongoing staff professional development.
• The school has an inclusive culture with high expectations and effective SEND adaptations.
• Leaders have changed the school culture and staff are proud, supported and positive about the vision.
• Pupils benefit from a comprehensive personal development programme and a wide range of enrichment activities.
• Pupils feel known, valued and respected, and relationships between staff and pupils are positive.
• Nursery children settle quickly and benefit from quality interactions and an ambitious curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years requires attention because children are not as well prepared for Year 1 as they need to be.
• Reception children are less settled and sometimes struggle to follow staff instructions.
• Early years teaching is variable, including phonics pronunciation and checks on what children know.
• Staff do not consistently ensure children develop an efficient pencil grip and accurate letter and number formation.
• Some pupils have insecure prior knowledge, which limits their ability to connect new learning across the wider curriculum.
• Overall attendance remains below the national average, and persistent absence is above the national average.
• Some pupils' knowledge in personal, social, health and economic education and wider personal development is less secure.
• Some pupils with SEND need to catch up more quickly with their peers.
• Leaders should ensure staff consistently implement revised teaching and learning approaches, including in early years and PSHE.
• Leaders should build further on parent relationships so parents are well informed about their children's education.

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 Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery attended 92.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.0% 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, 5.3% of pupils at Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery 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 Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 34.0% 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, 14.0% of pupils at Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.5% 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 Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery received £8,976 and spent £9,291 for each of its 240 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £8,000 (£34 per pupil).

Across all 24 schools of Lingfield Education Trust, income was £6,737 and spending £6,759 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 Newton Aycliffe · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery is part of Lingfield Education Trust, which runs 26 schools. The nearest others:

• Vane Road Primary School Newton Aycliffe
• Prince Bishops Community Primary School Bishop Auckland
• West Park Academy Darlington
• Mount Pleasant Primary School Darlington
• Northwood Primary School Darlington
• Corporation Road Community Primary School Darlington
• Heathfield Primary School Darlington
• Hurworth Primary School Darlington
• Durham Lane Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Preston Primary School Stockton-On-Tees

What is Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery have?

Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery has 222 pupils on roll.

What age range does Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery cover?

Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery?

Woodham Burn Community Primary School and Nursery is at Humphrey Close, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, DL5 4EX.