Best Schools in Stanley

How many schools are there in Stanley?

Stanley has 21 open schools: 17 state primary, 2 state secondary or all-through, 1 special and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Stanley?

None of the 12 graded schools in Stanley currently holds an Outstanding rating. 12 are rated Good, so 100% are Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Stanley get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Stanley with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Tanfield School, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.4 and 63% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; North Durham Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 39.9 and 27% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Croft Community School, with an Attainment 8 score of 3.9 and 0% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Tanfield SchoolNorth Durham AcademyCroft Community School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Stanley have the best SATs results?

Of the 15 primary schools in Stanley with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Bloemfontein Primary School (86% in reading, 86% in maths); Greenland Community Primary School (82% in reading, 87% in maths); and St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Stanley (83% in reading, 86% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Bloemfontein Primary SchoolGreenland Community Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary, Stanley

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Stanley?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Stanley selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Stanley have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Stanley have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, County Durham allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Stanley?

Apply to County Durham through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.