Gurney Pease Academy, Darlington

Ofsted's report card from its 17 February 2026 inspection grades Gurney Pease Academy on 7 areas: 4 expected standard and 3 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Attendance is a priority for leaders at Gurney Pease."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure that children get off to a positive start in the early years."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders prioritise inclusion."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders ensure pupils follow an appropriate personal development programme that is designed carefully to meet their needs."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils' achievement across the school is inconsistent."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Teaching is not consistently effective."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Over time, leaders have not addressed the variability in the quality of teaching that has led to inconsistent achievement, effectively enough."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to teach consistently well, particularly in relation to checking pupils' understanding carefully, so that learning is moved on at the right time"; "Leaders should ensure that gaps in pupils' knowledge in the foundations of phonics, reading, writing and mathematics are addressed quickly, so that pupils achieve well"; "Leaders should ensure that all subjects in the wider curriculum are designed consistently well to build precisely on the knowledge and skills that children learn in the early years"; "Leaders should develop their work further to ensure pupils develop a consistently sophisticated understanding of fundamental British values, protected characteristics and different world religions so they are well prepared for life in modern Britain".

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Gurney Pease Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 76% in Darlington and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 43% in reading and 50% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 18 families put Gurney Pease Academy as their first choice and 42 named it as one of their preferences, for 20 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Gurney Pease Academy are Northwood Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 58% reading, 71% maths); Springfield Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); Corporation Road Community Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 83% maths); and St Bede's Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 67% reading, 81% maths).

Gurney Pease Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Gurney Pease Academy is one of 7 schools run by The Education Village Academy Trust, an academy trust.

18 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Gurney Pease Academy (as of April 2026): 94% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that their child feels safe (94%).

49.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 11.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Black (5%).

Gurney Pease Academy had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is North Road Rail Station, about 860 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Albert Hill WMC (i), 90 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Gurney Pease Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 615 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 Darlington (281), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Gurney Pease Academy issued 16 suspensions, 8.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Gurney Pease Academy are Haughton Academy (0.6 miles), St Aidan's Church of England Academy (0.7 miles), Longfield Academy (1.1 miles) and Polam Hall School (1.4 miles).