Middlestone Moor Academy, Durham

Ofsted's report card from its 17 February 2026 inspection grades Middlestone Moor Academy on 7 areas: 1 strong standard, 5 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders ensure that pupils can thrive in school."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils in key stage 2 achieve well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders work closely with families to stress the importance of pupils attending school regularly."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders and staff have created a well-designed curriculum."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have high expectations for all pupils' learning."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear vision of how they want the school to positively influence pupils' aspirations for their future."

Early years - Needs attention. "Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is sufficiently well enacted in the early years to support children to develop the knowledge and skills they need to be well prepared for the next stage of their educational journey."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that staff fully understand how the early years curriculum enables children to build their knowledge over time. They should support staff to design high-quality learning experiences and purposeful interactions, so that all children are prepared well for key stage 1"; "Leaders should ensure there is effective support for those pupils in the early years and key stage 1 who need help to behave well, so that no learning opportunities are missed and pupils engage positively with learning"; "Leaders should ensure pupils consistently benefit from well-designed learning opportunities, especially in phonics and early reading, to enable them to achieve well".

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at Middlestone Moor Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 79% 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 71% in reading and 68% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Middlestone Moor Academy as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 26 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 Middlestone Moor Academy are Rosa Street Primary and Nursery Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 83% maths); King Street Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 67% reading, 73% maths); North Park Primary School (1 mile, Good, 72% reading, 63% maths); and Springmoor Grange School (1.1 miles, Good, 64% reading, 69% maths).

Middlestone Moor Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Middlestone Moor Academy is one of 23 schools run by Advance Learning Partnership, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

55 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Middlestone Moor Academy (as of April 2026): 76% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 38% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (86%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (38%).

41.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Middlestone Moor Academy had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 25 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Bishop Auckland Rail Station, about 3.6 miles away in a straight line.

16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Beech Avenue (sw-bound), 110 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 188 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.

In 2024/25, Middlestone Moor Academy issued 38 suspensions, 14.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The secondary schools closest to Middlestone Moor Academy are Whitworth Park Academy (0.2 miles) and Ferryhill School (1.5 miles).