Howletch Lane Primary School, Peterlee
Howletch Lane Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Peterlee. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 9th-highest of the 10 schools in Peterlee with published results, and 13,336th of 14,452 across England. It was 82% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- 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
Howletch Lane Primary School in detail
Howletch Lane Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £4.00 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils at Howletch Lane Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 56% 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 50% in reading and 29% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Howletch Lane Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put Howletch Lane Primary School as their first choice and 64 named it as one of their preferences, for 38 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Howletch Lane Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Howletch Lane Primary School are Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 84% reading, 91% maths); Acre Rigg Infant School (0.6 miles, Good); Acre Rigg Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 61% reading, 59% maths); and Shotton Hall Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 76% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Howletch Lane Primary School.
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary SchoolAcre Rigg Infant SchoolAcre Rigg AcademyShotton Hall Primary School
What parents say
22 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Howletch Lane Primary School (as of September 2025): 73% would recommend the school, 82% say their child is happy there and 55% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (82%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (55%).
Who goes there
3.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (91%) and Black (5%).
In 2026, 115 pupils (30.1%) received SEN support and 20 (5.2%) 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.
Howletch Lane Primary School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Horden, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pennine Drive - Schools (sw-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Howletch Lane Primary School 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 294 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. 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, Howletch Lane Primary School issued 21 suspensions, 5.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Howletch Lane Primary School are St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College (0.3 miles), The Academy at Shotton Hall (0.6 miles), Dene Academy (1.4 miles) and Easington Academy (1.6 miles).
St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form CollegeThe Academy at Shotton HallDene AcademyEasington Academy
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 2018, 8 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
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils at Howletch Lane strive to embody the school's vision of 'creating futures together'. Pupils are happy and safe. They enjoy very positive relationships with adults. These high-quality relationships ensure that the classroom environment is productive and purposeful. Pupils show respect to adults and to each other. Pupils enjoy a high level of pastoral support. This allows them to thrive.
The school has high expectations for all pupils. Pupils are starting to benefit from a wide range of improvements to the curriculum. However, many pupils still do not achieve all that they should. This impairs their readiness for the next stage of learning. Pupils understand the new behaviour system. They told inspectors that this has made behaviour much better in the school. When bullying does occur, staff deal with it quickly.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school's curriculum is well designed to meet the needs of pupils. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has a focus on early reading and phonics. Pupils develop confidence and fluency in reading as they move up through school. Older pupils now benefit from a more focused approach to advanced reading skills. For example, well-trained staff skilfully model strategies for pupils to use in their reading comprehension skills. However, published phonics and reading outcomes for 2023 were below national figures. The recent improvements made to the teaching of phonics and reading are not reflected in these outcomes.
In other curriculum areas, crucial elements of pupils' learning and their readiness for the next stage of education do not meet the school's expectations. Published outcomes in writing and mathematics, for example, are below national figures. Pupils' recall of prior learning can vary. In physical education, pupils talk about their prior learning with clear understanding. They apply prior knowledge and skills in their lessons. In some other subjects, pupils' retention of knowledge is not as secure. Assessment in some curriculum subjects is not used to precisely identify and address gaps in learning to help pupils with their recall of knowledge. Recent improvements made by the school are still in their infancy.
From Ofsted's September 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2018 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
32.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Other
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
22 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 improved from 50% to 58% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 29% to 56% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 52% to 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.1
Avg class size
25.4
Infant (KS1)
22.8
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Howletch Lane Primary School
Before and after school care
Howletch 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Howletch Lane Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Howletch 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Howletch Lane Primary School
Will you get a place at Howletch Lane Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Howletch Lane Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Howletch Lane Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Howletch 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 Howletch 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
82%
Available places
326 pupils
399 places
73 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Peterlee
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Peterlee
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(9)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
115
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
35.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Howletch Lane Primary School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
382
Total Pupils
193
Boys
189
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
22.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,232
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,780
Per pupil
£2171k
Total funding
£186k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.5%
Overall absence
21.3%
Persistent absence
300
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
Questions parents ask about Howletch Lane Primary School
What are SATs results like at Howletch Lane Primary School?
Of the pupils at Howletch Lane Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 58% reached the expected standard in reading and 56% did so in maths.
What is Howletch Lane Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Howletch Lane Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Howletch Lane Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Howletch 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 Howletch Lane Primary School?
Howletch Lane Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 82% of its 399 places.
How big are the classes at Howletch Lane Primary School?
Classes at Howletch Lane Primary School average 24.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Howletch Lane Primary School?
Howletch Lane Primary School has around 382 pupils on roll. 33% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Howletch Lane Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Howletch Lane Primary School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Howletch Lane Primary School?
7.5% of sessions were missed at Howletch Lane Primary School in 2024/25. 21.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Howletch Lane Primary School?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming Howletch 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 Howletch Lane Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Howletch 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 Howletch Lane Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Howletch Lane Primary School?
Howletch Lane Primary School is at Pennine Drive, County Durham, Peterlee, County Durham, SR8 2NQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)