Easington Colliery Primary School

About Easington Colliery Primary School

Easington Colliery Primary School is a large state primary in County Durham, serving 532 pupils aged 3 to 11. It sits within a local authority where only eight out of 208 primary schools have achieved an Outstanding Ofsted rating, placing it in a competitive landscape. Among its top-performing peers in the area are Montalbo Nursery & Primary School, Shincliffe CofE (Controlled) Primary School, and Cestria Primary School. The school itself holds a Good rating from its most recent inspection in 2023, a grade it has maintained consistently across both its 2014 and 2023 inspections. Headteacher Rachel Francis leads a mixed, non-religious school that also offers nursery provision. With 42.5 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average socio-economic challenges, yet it remains a popular choice locally.

Academically, Easington Colliery Primary performs solidly against national and local benchmarks. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 69 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined — notably higher than the County Durham local authority average of 62 per cent. The school’s ranking score of 69 places it in the top 50 per cent of primaries nationally, and 62nd out of 170 in the local authority. Subject-level results show particular strength in maths, where 85 per cent met the expected standard and 48 per cent achieved the higher standard, compared with 76 per cent in reading and 73 per cent in writing at the expected level. Average scaled scores were 108 in maths and 106 in reading. The school does not have a sixth form, as is typical for a primary.

The school offers a practical range of facilities including a gymnasium, ICT suite, library, dining hall, and chapel. Sports provision covers cross country, rounders, athletics, cricket, gymnastics, and dance, while clubs include book club, coding, and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists a broad set of SEND provisions, including support for specific learning difficulties, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and physical disabilities. Admissions data for 2025/26 shows the school is oversubscribed: 82 applications were received for 58 places, with 55 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.41. This suggests strong local demand, and families considering the school should be aware that securing a place may require a first-preference application.

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