Green Lane Church of England Primary School

Green Lane Church of England Primary School is performing well overall. It is an inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and are well supported, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils. Early years is a particular strength: leadership is skilled, the curriculum is well designed, and children make strong progress in a happy and purposeful environment. The trust has had a positive impact, leaders know the school well, and parents are very positive. Most areas are at the expected standard. Pupils generally achieve well, phonics and reading are secure, and personal development is strong, with sport, clubs, trips and pupil voice. Safeguarding standards are met. However, attendance has been below the national average, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and persistent absence is above the national average; recent work is improving this, but momentum must continue. Leaders also need to ensure teachers consistently check how well pupils are learning and adapt teaching, secure all pupils’ recall of the personal, social and health education curriculum, and continue raising standards, including at key stage 2 and for disadvantaged pupils. Published mathematics outcomes at the end of Year 6 were below national in 2024/25.

Strengths

• Early years provision is highly effective, with skilled leadership, a well-designed curriculum and precise support for children’s needs.
• Strong partnership with parents helps staff understand children’s abilities and additional needs when they arrive.
• Pupils generally achieve well, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, with secure phonics and reading.
• The school is inclusive and identifies special educational needs and/or disabilities quickly, working with families and professionals to remove barriers.
• Behaviour is positive, bullying and unkind words are rare, and pupils feel safe and respected.
• Personal development is well designed, with sport, clubs, residential trips and pupil leadership opportunities.
• Leaders and the trust have secure oversight, a cohesive professional learning programme and strong staff wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains below the national average, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, though recent improvements are taking hold.
• Persistent absence is above the national average.
• Teachers’ checks on how well pupils are learning the curriculum vary, so teaching is not always adjusted precisely.
• A minority of pupils do not securely recall the personal, social and health education curriculum.
• Published mathematics outcomes at the end of Year 6 were below national in 2024/25, and leaders are asked to continue raising standards, including at key stage 2 and for disadvantaged pupils.

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 Green Lane Church of England Primary School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.0% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Green Lane Church of England 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 Green Lane Church of England Primary School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.2% 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, 15.4% of pupils at Green Lane Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.7% 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 Green Lane Church of England Primary School received £7,229 and spent £7,171 for each of its 196 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £182,000 (£930 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, income was £7,271 and spending £7,125 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 Barnard Castle · County Durham local authority: places and applications

Green Lane Church of England Primary School is part of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Gainford Church of England Primary School and Preschool Darlington
• Ingleton CofE Primary School Darlington
• Heighington Church of England Primary School Newton Aycliffe
• Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School Bishop Auckland
• St John's Church of England Academy Darlington
• St. George's Church of England Academy
• Bishopton Redmarshall CofE Primary School Bishopton
• St Mary's Church of England Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Holy Trinity Rosehill CofE Primary School Stockton-On-Tees
• Egglescliffe Church of England Primary School Stockton-On-Tees

What is Green Lane Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Green Lane Church of England Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Green Lane Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Green Lane Church of England Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Green Lane Church of England Primary School have?

Green Lane Church of England Primary School has 188 pupils on roll.

What age range does Green Lane Church of England Primary School cover?

Green Lane Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Green Lane Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Green Lane Church of England Primary School?

Green Lane Church of England Primary School is at Green Lane, Barnard Castle, County Durham, DL12 8LG.