New Brancepeth Primary Academy

About New Brancepeth Primary Academy

New Brancepeth Primary Academy is a small state primary in County Durham, serving 124 pupils from ages 2 to 11. In the local authority’s primary school rankings, it sits at 114th out of 170 schools, placing it in the bottom half of County Durham primaries. The top-performing peers in the area include Montalbo Nursery & Primary School, Shincliffe CofE (Controlled) Primary School, and Cestria Primary School, all of which achieve higher ranking scores. The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 8 applications for 7 places and 6 first-preference offers made, suggesting solid local demand despite its middling rank. Headteacher Charlotte Robson leads a school where over half of pupils (50.9%) are eligible for free school meals, a figure well above the national average, and the school’s capacity of 119 is slightly exceeded by its current roll of 124.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024 judged it as Good overall, with leadership and management rated Outstanding. This marks a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2019, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. At Key Stage 2, 54% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the County Durham local authority average of 62%. However, average scores in reading (103) and maths (105) are close to the national benchmark of 100, and 15% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths. Progress measures are not available, so it’s hard to gauge how much value the school adds, but the Ofsted report notes good behaviour and attitudes, and personal development is also rated Good.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, music rooms, library, sensory room, and ICT suite. Clubs include coding, drama, gardening, eco club, choir, and chess, while sports provision covers gymnastics, cross country, dance, and rounders. SEND support is available for pupils with moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication difficulties. Parent View responses from 26 respondents show strong satisfaction: 96% agree or strongly agree their child is happy, 89% feel the school has high expectations, and 100% agree their child can take part in clubs and activities. However, only 77% would recommend the school, and concerns about bullying and SEND support received mixed or no responses. This school suits families who value a small, improving primary with strong leadership and a broad extracurricular offer, particularly those whose children may benefit from its SEND provisions.

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