Cotherstone Primary School

About Cotherstone Primary School

Cotherstone Primary School is a small state primary in County Durham, serving just 60 pupils aged 3 to 11. It sits within a local authority that includes 208 primary schools, eight of which hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The nearest of those is Montalbo Nursery & Primary School, 4.6 km away, which also tops the LA’s ranking table alongside Shincliffe CofE (Controlled) Primary and Cestria Primary School. Cotherstone itself ranks 168th out of 208 primaries in County Durham, placing it in the bottom half of schools locally. The school is led by headteacher Julie Gibson and has no religious character. It offers nursery provision and is co-educational. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, rated the school Good overall, a change from its previous Outstanding rating in 2013. All five graded categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — were judged Good.

Academically, Cotherstone’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. Only 22% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the County Durham average of 62%. The school’s average maths score was 97, and reading averaged 102. A higher proportion of pupils reached the expected standard in reading and writing individually — 78% in each — but maths was weaker, with just 22% at expected and 11% achieving a higher standard. No pupils reached the higher standard in writing or in the combined measure. Progress scores are not available for reading, writing or maths, so it is difficult to say how much value the school adds. Nationally, Cotherstone ranks in the bottom 2% of primaries on the combined expected standard metric, and in the bottom 2% regionally within the North East.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 11 applications for 6 places and all 6 first-preference applicants offered a spot. Facilities include a dining hall, ICT suite, library, playing fields, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports on offer range from cricket and netball to gymnastics, dance and cross country, and clubs include book club, drama and coding. The school’s SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and other difficulties. This suggests the school is equipped to support a range of additional needs. Given its small size, rural setting in County Durham, and below-average academic outcomes, Cotherstone may suit families who prioritise a close-knit, community feel and strong pastoral support over league-table performance.

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