St Godric's Catholic Primary School, Durham

About St Godric's Catholic Primary School, Durham

St Godric's Catholic Primary School in Durham holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2021, but the detail beneath that headline tells a more nuanced story. The school was previously rated Outstanding in 2007, and while the overall grade has shifted, inspectors judged personal development and behaviour and attitudes as Outstanding in the latest visit. On the most revealing exam metric, 80% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure sits well above the County Durham local authority average of 62%, placing the school 20th out of 170 primary schools in the area and in the top 25% nationally. It is a strong academic performance for a relatively small school of 212 pupils, with just 1.4% eligible for free school meals.

Digging into the individual subject scores, the school’s maths results are particularly strong. 87% of pupils reached the expected standard in maths, and the average scaled score was 108, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. Reading and writing both saw 83% and 87% of pupils at the expected level respectively, with reading averaging a score of 106. At the higher standard, 43% of pupils achieved in maths, 30% in reading and 27% in writing, while 20% hit the higher bar across all three subjects. The school ranks 79th out of 677 primary schools in the North East region, reinforcing its position as a solidly above-average performer locally. With no progress scores published for the cohort, the focus is squarely on attainment, and on that measure St Godric's delivers consistently across the core subjects.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 51 applications for 30 places, with 20 first-preference offers made from 20 first-preference applications, giving a ratio of 2.22 applicants per place. Facilities include a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, ICT suite, art studios, a forest school area, a sensory room and a chapel. Clubs range from drama and choir to eco club, chess, film club and coding. SEND provision covers moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication support. The school also has a nursery for three-year-olds. For Catholic families in Durham who prioritise strong core attainment and a school rated Outstanding for personal development, St Godric's is a compelling choice, though competition for places is high.

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