Frosterley Primary School

About Frosterley Primary School

Frosterley Primary School holds a Good rating from Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in January 2024, a rating it has maintained consistently since its previous inspection in 2012. The school's most telling academic metric is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2, which stands at 44 per cent. This is notably below the County Durham local authority average of 62 per cent, placing the school 146th out of 170 primary schools in the area and in the bottom 50 per cent nationally. Across individual subjects, 67 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in reading, maths and writing separately, with a slightly higher 22 per cent reaching the higher standard in writing compared with 11 per cent in reading and maths. Average scaled scores in reading and maths were both 103, in line with the national average.

Ofsted inspectors rated every aspect of the school's work as Good, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school is small, with just 39 pupils on roll against a capacity of 84, and it has a nursery provision for children from age three. Just over a third of pupils (35.9 per cent) are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average. The school's co-executive headteachers, Sarah Hodgkinson and Richard Sains, lead a setting where the most recent inspection noted that pupils behave well and feel safe. The school offers a range of sports including football, gymnastics, rounders, netball, athletics, cross country and tennis, alongside clubs for drama, choir, gardening and chess.

Frosterley Primary School was oversubscribed for Reception places in the 2025/26 admissions round, receiving 11 applications for just three places, with three first-preference offers made. This gives an oversubscription ratio of 3.67, indicating strong local demand despite the small intake. The school has dedicated facilities including music rooms, an outdoor playground, a sensory room, a library, art studios and a chapel. It also provides targeted SEND support for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication difficulties, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given its small size, strong local demand and Good Ofsted rating, this school will particularly suit families living close by who value a close-knit, village-style primary with a broad range of extracurricular activities and specialist support for children with additional needs.

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