Bournmoor Primary School

About Bournmoor Primary School

Bournmoor Primary School is a small state primary in County Durham, currently home to 77 pupils against a capacity of 143, meaning it operates at just over half its potential size. This undersubscription is notable given that the school received 16 total applications for 11 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, with 11 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.45. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 40.3%, significantly above the national average and a clear indicator that the school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage. The school is mixed, non-denominational, and covers ages 3 to 11, with nursery provision on site. Headteacher Laura Snowdon leads a team that has maintained a Good rating from Ofsted following its most recent ungraded inspection in July 2024, which confirmed the school remains Good. The previous graded inspection in 2015 rated overall effectiveness as Good, with leadership and management also Good, and early years provision rated Good.

Academically, Bournmoor’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year show 63% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is just one percentage point above the County Durham local authority average of 62%. In the individual subjects, 75% met expectations in both maths and writing, while 69% did so in reading. The school’s average scaled scores were 101 in maths and 104 in reading, both close to the national baseline of 100. At the higher standard, 31% of pupils achieved above the expected level in reading, 13% in writing, and 6% in maths. Nationally, Bournmoor ranks in the 49th percentile among all primary schools, placing it in the middle of the pack. Within County Durham, it sits at 90th out of 170 schools, and in the North East region it ranks 357th out of 677. The school’s ranking score of 63 places it in the top 50 tier, though it is some way behind the top-performing local peers like Montalbo Nursery & Primary School.

The school offers a range of facilities including an ICT suite, music rooms, a gymnasium, a sensory room and a chapel, and runs clubs such as drama, book club, eco club and choir. Sports provision includes cross country, gymnastics, football and swimming. For pupils with additional needs, Bournmoor has identified SEND provisions covering moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, visual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. With its small cohort, high FSM rate and middling but solid academic outcomes, this is a school that feels genuinely inclusive and community-focused rather than selective or high-pressure. It will suit families who value a calm, well-supported environment where their child is known as an individual, and who are comfortable with a school that is not oversubscribed to the point of being difficult to get into. The nursery provision is a practical bonus for local families with younger children.

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