Mowden Junior School, Darlington
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Mowden Junior School excels at making every child feel valued and included. Pupils achieve excellent results in core subjects while enjoying a rich range of experiences from brass instrument lessons to outdoor residential trips. The school has created a warm, respectful environment where behaviour is consistently high and bullying is rare.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve significantly above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2
- Strong inclusive practices ensure disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND progress well
- Excellent attendance rates and consistently high standards of behaviour across the school
- Broad, balanced curriculum with enhanced teaching in foundation subjects like geography and art
- Comprehensive personal development programme including music lessons, sports, clubs and residential trips for all pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils do not acquire sufficient knowledge in spelling, handwriting and vocabulary to achieve as well as they could
- Teaching does not consistently identify and address gaps in foundational knowledge for all pupils
- Early mathematics improvements are still in progress and not yet fully embedded
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Brass instrument lessons, competitive sports, school choir, school newspaper, various clubs and activities, outdoor residential experiences
Mowden Junior School is a welcoming school where pupils achieve very well, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2. Leaders have created a strong inclusive culture where all pupils feel safe, happy and valued.
At a Glance
12.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 86%. Maths has declined from 90% to 86%. Writing has declined from 84% to 80%.
Class Sizes
29.0
Avg class size
29.0
KS2
9
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
119%
Over capacity
295 pupils
248 capacity
47 places over capacity
Area Demand Pressure - Darlington
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Darlington
Admissions Demand - Darlington
Places available
1,260
Applications
1,063
Got 1st preference
96.3%
Got preferred school
98.9%
Primary admissions across Darlington (2025/26)
Inspection History(5)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.34829%
Overall absence
2.8125%
Persistent absence
320
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Mowden Junior School
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