Chilton Academy, Ferryhill
Chilton Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Ferryhill, part of Eden Learning Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 4th-highest of the 7 schools in Ferryhill with published results, and 9,801st of 14,452 across England. It was 60% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to County Durham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Chilton Academy in detail
Chilton Academy in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include athletics and cooking.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils at Chilton Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 73% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in County Durham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 71% in reading and 55% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Chilton Academy
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put Chilton Academy as their first choice and 29 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Chilton Academy are Ferryhill Station Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 70% reading, 50% maths); Kirk Merrington Primary School (1.8 miles, Outstanding, 94% reading, 89% maths); Dean Bank Primary and Nursery School (2 miles, Requires improvement, 60% reading, 56% maths); and Broom Cottages Primary & Nursery School (2 miles, Good, 56% reading, 41% maths).
Chilton Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Ferryhill Station Primary SchoolKirk Merrington Primary SchoolDean Bank Primary and Nursery SchoolBroom Cottages Primary & Nursery School
The trust
Chilton Academy is one of 10 schools run by Eden Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
3.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 91 pupils (31.2%) received SEN support and 11 (3.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Chilton Academy.
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is RC Church (e-bound), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Chilton Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Chilton Academy issued 145 suspensions, 51.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from April 2011, 15 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2011 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
31.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 70% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 55% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.2
Avg class size
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Chilton Academy
Before and after school care
Chilton Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in County Durham
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Chilton Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Chilton Academy is in County Durham; for families living there:
- County Durham's school travel policy: School transport policies and strategies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school travel
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Chilton Academy
Will you get a place at Chilton Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Chilton Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Chilton Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Chilton Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from County Durham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Chilton Academy for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in County Durham got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
60%
Available places
253 pupils
420 places
167 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ferryhill
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ferryhill
Across County Durham council
Places available
6,581
Applications
4,409
Got 1st preference
97.3%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across County Durham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
91
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
34.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
292
Total Pupils
135
Boys
157
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
22.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£40,531
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,724
Per pupil
£1616k
Total funding
£109k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.8%
Overall absence
21.9%
Persistent absence
233
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Chilton Academy
Questions parents ask about Chilton Academy
What are SATs results like at Chilton Academy?
Of the pupils at Chilton Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 70% reached the expected standard in reading and 73% did so in maths.
What is Chilton Academy's Ofsted rating?
Chilton Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Chilton Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Chilton Academy is oversubscribed, County Durham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Chilton Academy?
Chilton Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 60% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Chilton Academy?
Classes at Chilton Academy average 23.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Chilton Academy?
Chilton Academy has around 292 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Chilton Academy?
7.8% of sessions were missed at Chilton Academy in 2024/25. 21.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Chilton Academy?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming Chilton Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Chilton Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Chilton Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Chilton Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Chilton Academy?
Chilton Academy is at Chilton, Off New South View, Ferryhill, County Durham, DL17 0PT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)