Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law

About Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School, Tow Law

Blessed John Duckett Catholic Primary School in Tow Law is a small Roman Catholic primary that, on its headline Key Stage 2 results, sits noticeably below the County Durham average. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 43%, compared with the local authority average of 62%. That places the school 147th out of 170 primaries in the county, putting it in the bottom half of schools locally. The picture is more mixed when you look at individual subjects: 86% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, which is a strong result, and 57% did so in writing. Maths was the weaker area, with only 43% reaching the expected standard. The school’s reading average scaled score of 107 is solid, while maths came in at exactly 100. Only 14% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. The school has a relatively high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 33.8%, which may be a factor in these outcomes.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025, the school was judged Good overall, with a notable Outstanding rating for early years provision. The leadership and management, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and personal development were all rated Good. This is consistent with its previous inspection in 2012, which also rated it Good. Parent feedback from the Parent View survey, based on 22 responses between September 2024 and September 2025, is overwhelmingly positive: 91% would recommend the school. Strong majorities agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy (95%), feels safe (96%), and that the school has high expectations (91%). The school’s Progress 8 scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data, so it is not possible to compare pupil progress directly with the LA average.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 13 applications for 10 places, and all 10 first-preference applicants were offered a place. It has a nursery provision for children aged three and above, and a range of facilities including a library, sports hall, forest school, sensory room and chapel. The school supports pupils with a variety of special educational needs, including moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health needs. Clubs include eco club, science club, art club, drama and choir, and sports on offer are athletics, football, dance, netball and gymnastics. This is a small, faith-based primary that will suit families looking for a close-knit setting with strong early years provision, but those prioritising top-end academic outcomes at Key Stage 2 may want to explore higher-performing schools in the County Durham area.

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