Northwood Primary School, Darlington
Northwood Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Darlington, part of Lingfield Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 25th-highest of the 29 schools in Darlington with published results, and 12,028th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 Darlington (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Northwood Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils at Northwood Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 76% in Darlington and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (65% in reading, 65% in maths).
Getting a place at Northwood Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 54 families put Northwood Primary School as their first choice and 87 named it as one of their preferences, for 55 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Northwood Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Northwood Primary School are Gurney Pease Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 77% maths); Harrowgate Hill Primary School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 67% reading, 66% maths); Corporation Road Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 83% maths); and St Bede's Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 67% reading, 81% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Northwood Primary School.
Gurney Pease AcademyHarrowgate Hill Primary SchoolCorporation Road Community Primary SchoolSt Bede's Catholic Primary School
The trust
Northwood Primary School is one of 26 schools run by Lingfield Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
37.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is North Road Rail Station, about 540 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Westmoreland Street (i), 220 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Northwood 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 487 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Darlington (281), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Northwood Primary School issued 6 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Northwood Primary School are Longfield Academy (0.7 miles), Haughton Academy (0.8 miles), St Aidan's Church of England Academy (1.1 miles) and Carmel College (1.9 miles).
Longfield AcademyHaughton AcademySt Aidan's Church of England AcademyCarmel College
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from January 2019, 7 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 January 2019 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
37.3%
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 declined from 65% to 58% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 65% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.1
Avg class size
24.8
Infant (KS1)
23.4
KS2
17
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Northwood Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Northwood Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Northwood Primary 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
- 26
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 17 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.
7 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 Northwood Primary School
Will you get a place at Northwood Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Northwood Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Northwood Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Northwood Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Darlington, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Northwood Primary School for 2016 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
89%
Available places
375 pupils
420 places
45 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
55
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
16.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
429
Total Pupils
205
Boys
224
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
19.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,081
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,919
Per pupil
£2665k
Total funding
£241k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.4%
Overall absence
22.6%
Persistent absence
363
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
Northwood Primary School
Questions parents ask about Northwood Primary School
What are SATs results like at Northwood Primary School?
Of the pupils at Northwood Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 58% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is Northwood Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Northwood Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Northwood Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Northwood Primary 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 Northwood Primary School?
Northwood Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Northwood Primary School?
Classes at Northwood Primary School average 23.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Northwood Primary School?
Northwood Primary School has around 429 pupils on roll. 37% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Northwood Primary School?
7.4% of sessions were missed at Northwood Primary School in 2024/25. 22.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Northwood Primary School?
Apply through Darlington's coordinated admissions process, naming Northwood 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 Northwood Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 26 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 9 serious and 17 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 7 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 Northwood Primary School?
Northwood Primary School is at Pendleton Road South, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 2HF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)