Mowden Infant School, Darlington
Mowden Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Darlington, part of Northern Arch Learning Partnership. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2023 did not change this grade. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 65% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Darlington (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Mowden Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Mowden Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 73 families put Mowden Infant School as their first choice and 175 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 15 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Mowden Infant School are Mowden Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 86% reading, 86% maths); St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 60% reading, 67% maths); Holy Family Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 90% reading, 87% maths); and Abbey Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 91% reading, 86% maths).
Mowden Junior SchoolSt Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary SchoolHoly Family Catholic Primary SchoolAbbey Junior School
The trust
Mowden Infant School is one of 6 schools run by Northern Arch Learning Partnership, an academy trust.
Who goes there
8.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 9 pupils (5.3%) received SEN support and 4 (2.4%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is North Road Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bushel Hill Drive (i), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Mowden Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 145 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Darlington (281).
Suspensions and exclusions
Mowden Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Mowden Infant School are Carmel College (0.3 miles), Hummersknott Academy (0.6 miles), Wyvern Academy (0.7 miles) and Polam Hall School (1.3 miles).
Carmel CollegeHummersknott AcademyWyvern AcademyPolam Hall School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from June 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2012 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
8.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
28.2
Avg class size
28.2
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Mowden Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Mowden Infant School.
- Sporting Futures980m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Mowden Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Mowden Infant School is in Darlington; for families living there:
- Darlington's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy
- How to apply: Apply for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Darlington is 9 (the median across 48 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 Mowden Infant School
Will you get a place at Mowden Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Mowden Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Mowden Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Mowden Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Darlington, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Mowden Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Darlington 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
65%
Available places
176 pupils
270 places
94 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Darlington
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Darlington
Across Darlington council
Places available
1,260
Applications
1,075
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All primary applications across Darlington council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
9
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
7.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
169
Total Pupils
84
Boys
85
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
16.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£58,799
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,142
Per pupil
£999k
Total funding
£18k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.2%
Overall absence
3.3%
Persistent absence
121
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
Mowden Infant School
Questions parents ask about Mowden Infant School
What is Mowden Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Mowden Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Mowden Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Mowden Infant School is oversubscribed, Darlington allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Mowden Infant School?
Mowden Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 65% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Mowden Infant School?
Classes at Mowden Infant School average 28.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Mowden Infant School?
Mowden Infant School has around 169 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Mowden Infant School?
3.2% of sessions were missed at Mowden Infant School in 2024/25. 3.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Mowden Infant School?
Apply through Darlington's coordinated admissions process, naming Mowden Infant 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 Mowden Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Mowden Infant School: Sporting Futures (980m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Mowden Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Darlington is 9 (the median across 48 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Mowden Infant School?
Mowden Infant School is at Bushel Hill Drive, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 9QG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)