Silver Tree Primary School and Nursery

About Silver Tree Primary School and Nursery

Silver Tree Primary School and Nursery sits in County Durham, a local authority with 208 primary schools where only eight hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The school itself ranks 152nd out of 170 primaries in the county when measured by the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at key stage 2 — placing it in the bottom half of local schools. Its top-performing peers in the area include Montalbo Nursery & Primary School, Shincliffe CofE (Controlled) Primary School and Cestria Primary School, all of which score higher on the same metric. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Framwellgate Moor Primary School, about 4.2 kilometres away. Silver Tree is a mixed, non-religious state primary for children aged 2 to 11, with a nursery on site. It is led by headteacher Helen Grainger and currently has 209 pupils on roll, just one short of its full capacity of 210.

In its most recent graded inspection in 2018, Ofsted rated Silver Tree Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management, early years provision and the quality of education. An ungraded inspection in December 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. This is a clear improvement from the previous graded inspection in 2016, when the school was judged to Require Improvement. At key stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 41% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well below the local authority average of 62%. In individual subjects, 64% met the expected standard in maths and 59% in writing, but reading was lower at 50%. The proportion reaching the higher standard was modest: 23% in maths, 18% in reading and 14% in writing. Average scores were 104 in maths and 100 in reading. Progress measures were not available in the data.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 29 applications for 20 places and 18 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.45. Facilities include a library, dining hall, sensory room, ICT suite and a chapel. Sports on offer are cross country, football, netball, cricket and rounders, while clubs include science club, drama, choir and chess. The school has a broad range of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, social, emotional and mental health support, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. With 43.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Silver Tree serves a community with above-average disadvantage. This is a school that has improved its Ofsted rating and offers a wide support network, but whose academic outcomes at key stage 2 are below the local average — a factor for parents weighing up options in the area.

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