Classpot

Cestria Primary School

County Durham, DH3 3PZPrimaryAges 3–11MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
Dec 2024
KS2 Results
93%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
0.9×
Not oversubscribed
46 1st-choice / 50 places
Ranking
🏆Top 5%
#146 of 13,686 nationally

About Cestria Primary School

Cestria Primary School holds a Good rating from Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in 2019, and an ungraded visit in December 2024 confirmed that standards are being maintained. The school’s academic story is best told through its Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year, which are exceptionally strong. A remarkable 93% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of just 62% for primary schools in County Durham. That puts Cestria second out of 208 primary schools in the county, and in the top 2% nationally. The school also excels at the higher standard: 19% of pupils achieved that benchmark across all three subjects, while 51% reached the higher standard in reading alone. These figures place Cestria firmly among the highest-performing primaries in the North East.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range3 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterDoes not apply
AddressChurch Chare, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 3PZ
HeadteacherLorraine Gowland
Local AuthorityCounty Durham
Number of Pupils392
Free School Meals (FSM)17.1%
School Capacity392 / 420 (93% full)
Nursery ClassesYes

The full report on this school

What 129 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
See an example
One-off paymentNo subscriptionStripe checkout

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

18 Dec 2024
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Outstanding
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
Early Years Provision
Outstanding

Latest monitoring visit (18 Dec 2024): Standards maintained

Source: Ofsted, 14 Jan 2020. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

6
ICT SuiteLibraryGymnasiumArt StudiosPlaying FieldsChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

8

Sports

DanceRoundersGymnasticsNetball

Clubs & Activities

CodingArt ClubGardeningScience Club

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

AutismMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingPhysicalLearning DifficultySevere LearningOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:55 – 15:15

After-school care

15:15-18:00

Source: cestria.durham.sch.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

Was this page helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions About Cestria Primary School

Cestria Primary School has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.