Laurel Avenue Community Primary School, Durham
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Durham. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 26th-highest of the 43 schools in Durham with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 76% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 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
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School in detail
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in County Durham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 75% in reading and 88% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 9 families put Laurel Avenue Community Primary School as their first choice and 16 named it as one of their preferences, for 9 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 Laurel Avenue Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Laurel Avenue Community Primary School are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Gilesgate (0.3 miles, 100% reading, 100% maths); St Hild's College Church of England Primary School, Durham (0.4 miles); Durham Gilesgate Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 58% reading, 58% maths); and St Oswald's Church of England Aided Primary and Nursery School (0.9 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths).
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, GilesgateSt Hild's College Church of England Primary School, DurhamDurham Gilesgate Primary SchoolSt Oswald's Church of England Aided Primary and Nursery School
Who goes there
58.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 2.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 33 pupils (28.9%) received SEN support and 3 (2.6%) 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.
Staffing
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Durham Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Moorlands (nw-bound), 220 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Laurel Avenue Community Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 231 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. 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, Laurel Avenue Community Primary School issued 18 suspensions, 16.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Laurel Avenue Community Primary School are Belmont Community School (1.1 miles); St Leonard's Catholic School, Durham (1.5 miles); and Durham Johnston Comprehensive School (1.9 miles).
Belmont Community SchoolSt Leonard's Catholic School, DurhamDurham Johnston Comprehensive School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
58.8%
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 improved from 75% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 88% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 50% to 70% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
18.8
Avg class size
18.5
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Laurel Avenue Community Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Laurel Avenue Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Laurel Avenue Community 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
- 17
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 10 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Laurel Avenue Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Laurel Avenue Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Laurel Avenue Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Laurel Avenue Community 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 Laurel Avenue Community 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
76%
Available places
85 pupils
112 places
27 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Durham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Durham
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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
31.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
114
Total Pupils
55
Boys
59
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
19.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,780
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,295
Per pupil
£864k
Total funding
£103k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.4%
Overall absence
24.4%
Persistent absence
78
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
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School
Questions parents ask about Laurel Avenue Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is Laurel Avenue Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
What is the catchment area for Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Laurel Avenue Community 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 Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 76% of its 112 places.
How big are the classes at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
Classes at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School average 18.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School has around 114 pupils on roll. 59% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
7.4% of sessions were missed at Laurel Avenue Community Primary School in 2024/25. 24.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming Laurel Avenue Community 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.
How many road collisions happen near Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 10 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Laurel Avenue Community Primary School?
Laurel Avenue Community Primary School is at Laurel Avenue, The Woodlands, Durham, DH1 2EY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)