Etherley Lane Primary School, Bishop Auckland
Etherley Lane Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bishop Auckland. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 22 schools in Bishop Auckland with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. It was 59% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Etherley Lane Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Etherley Lane Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in County Durham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (77% in reading, 73% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Etherley Lane Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put Etherley Lane Primary School as their first choice and 52 named it as one of their preferences, for 18 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Etherley Lane Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Etherley Lane Primary School are St Anne's CofE Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 80% reading, 83% maths); Cockton Hill Junior School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 65% reading, 65% maths); Cockton Hill Infant School (0.6 miles, Good); and St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, Bishop Auckland (0.8 miles, 50% reading, 70% maths).
Etherley Lane Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
St Anne's CofE Primary SchoolCockton Hill Junior SchoolCockton Hill Infant SchoolSt Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, Bishop Auckland
What parents say
27 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Etherley Lane Primary School (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 40% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (40%).
Who goes there
43.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 45 pupils (23.7%) received SEN support and 10 (5.3%) 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
The nearest railway station is Bishop Auckland West Weardale Rail Station, about 340 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lindsay Street (s-bound), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 235 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in County Durham (84), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Etherley Lane Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Etherley Lane Primary School are King James I Academy Bishop Auckland (0.5 miles), Bishop Barrington Academy (0.7 miles) and St John's Catholic School & Sixth Form College (0.8 miles).
King James I Academy Bishop AucklandBishop Barrington AcademySt John's Catholic School & Sixth Form College
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Etherley Lane is a genuinely inclusive school where every child feels valued and part of the community. Teachers have high expectations and pupils respond positively, taking pride in their work and behaving well. The school does an outstanding job of broadening pupils' horizons by introducing them to different careers and cultures, helping them develop real ambition for their futures.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on five core values (collaboration, honesty, equality, empathy and resilience) that shape school life and prepare pupils for modern Britain
- Excellent early reading instruction with targeted support for pupils who struggle, helping them build confidence
- Impressive approach to wider development, introducing pupils to different jobs, careers and cultures to build ambition and curiosity
- Quick identification of pupils with special educational needs and effective support to help them access the curriculum
- Significant improvement in pupil attendance through effective action to tackle poor attendance early
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers need to check more carefully for emerging gaps in knowledge when revisiting previous learning, so pupils remember more of what they have been taught
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders ensuring pupils' interests are at the heart of all decisions.
Etherley Lane Primary School has maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. The school is a warm, welcoming community where pupils engage well with their learning and feel a strong sense of belonging.
At a Glance
43.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
27 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 77% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 80% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.1
Avg class size
25.3
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Etherley Lane Primary School
Before and after school care
Etherley Lane Primary School 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Etherley Lane Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Etherley Lane Primary School 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
- 18
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 12 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
1 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 Etherley Lane Primary School
Will you get a place at Etherley Lane Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Etherley Lane Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Etherley Lane Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Etherley Lane Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from County Durham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Etherley Lane Primary School for 2014 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
59%
Available places
203 pupils
345 places
142 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bishop Auckland
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bishop Auckland
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(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
45
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
28.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
190
Total Pupils
107
Boys
83
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,249
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,974
Per pupil
£1434k
Total funding
£124k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
18.9%
Persistent absence
196
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
Etherley Lane Primary School
Questions parents ask about Etherley Lane Primary School
What are SATs results like at Etherley Lane Primary School?
Of the pupils at Etherley Lane Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Etherley Lane Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Etherley Lane Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Etherley Lane Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Etherley Lane Primary School 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 Etherley Lane Primary School?
Etherley Lane Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 59% of its 345 places.
How big are the classes at Etherley Lane Primary School?
Classes at Etherley Lane Primary School average 27.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Etherley Lane Primary School?
Etherley Lane Primary School has around 190 pupils on roll. 44% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Etherley Lane Primary School?
6% of sessions were missed at Etherley Lane Primary School in 2024/25. 18.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Etherley Lane Primary School?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming Etherley Lane Primary School 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 Etherley Lane Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Etherley Lane Primary School 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 Etherley Lane Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 12 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 1 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 Etherley Lane Primary School?
Etherley Lane Primary School is at Clarence Gardens, Etherley Lane, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 7RB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)