Firthmoor Primary School, Darlington
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Firthmoor Primary creates a warm, welcoming environment where children are happy and feel safe. The school has invested heavily in teaching children to read through excellent phonics provision and a wide range of carefully chosen books. Staff build strong relationships with pupils and actively support their wellbeing, including teaching strategies to manage emotions and understand healthy relationships.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics programme that helps pupils develop reading and writing skills
- Ambitious, recently redeveloped curriculum that has improved pupil engagement and enjoyment
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils, and those known to social care
- Consistently good attendance through proactive work with families
- Calm, orderly school where pupils follow well-established routines and are polite and respectful
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils struggle to recall key knowledge in newer curriculum subjects like religious education and personal, social and health education
- Occasional inconsistencies in teaching delivery across the school
- Some subjects lack sufficient precision in teaching to help pupils work independently
- Further work needed on handwriting, particularly developing more efficient pencil grip
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed.
Extracurricular Activities
Chess club, pupil parliamentary committees, charity sponsored walk, educational visits including Year 5 and 6 residential, whole-school beach trip, theatre visit, after-school clubs
Firthmoor Primary School is an improving school where pupils are happy and feel safe. The school has made significant recent improvements to phonics teaching, curriculum ambition, and support for pupils with additional needs.
At a Glance
50.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 73%. Maths has declined from 87% to 76%. Writing has remained stable at around 73%.
Class Sizes
23.5
Avg class size
25.7
Infant (KS1)
24.4
KS2
10
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
76%
Available places
279 pupils
365 capacity
86 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Darlington
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Darlington
Admissions Demand - Darlington
Places available
1,260
Applications
1,063
Got 1st preference
96.3%
Got preferred school
98.9%
Primary admissions across Darlington (2025/26)
Inspection History(6)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.68042%
Overall absence
13.69295%
Persistent absence
241
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Firthmoor Primary School
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