Shotton Primary School, Shotton Colliery

Ofsted's report card from its 14 July 2026 inspection grades Shotton Primary School on 7 areas: 2 expected standard and 5 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Early years - Expected standard. "The early years provision is an inspiring place to be."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders are diligent in their work to support pupils, who may have barriers to their learning or wellbeing."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Across the curriculum, pupils' achievement is variable."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Attendance over recent years has been significantly below national averages."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have recently taken steps to strengthen some aspects of the curriculum, including English, phonics and geography."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders create opportunities to engage with parents and carers."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Pupils develop a range of knowledge through the taught personal development and wellbeing programme."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should strengthen their approach to identifying and addressing challenges to regular attendance and consistently high standards of behaviour to accelerate improvements in this area"; "Leaders should ensure that staff teach important knowledge and skills consistently well across all subjects, making use of ongoing assessment to check whether pupils have any gaps that need to be closed"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils develop deep and secure knowledge across the school's personal, social, health and economic curriculum, particularly of protected characteristics and fundamental British values"; "Leaders should strengthen communication and relationships with parents and carers to support a more effective partnership on the school's continued improvement journey".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Shotton Primary School. We hope that your child's stay with us will be a happy and productive one and that they will develop a variety of skills to carry them forward to the next stage of their education."

The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care, from £2 per day.

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Shotton Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% 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 63% in reading and 72% in maths in 2024.

For September 2026 entry, 30 families put Shotton Primary School as their first choice and 44 named it as one of their preferences, for 31 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 Shotton Primary School are Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Shotton (0.5 miles, Good, 90% reading, 81% maths); Howletch Lane Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 58% reading, 56% maths); Acre Rigg Infant School (1.6 miles, Good); and Acre Rigg Academy (1.6 miles, Good, 61% reading, 59% maths).

Shotton Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.

42.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 8.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (69%) and Black (6%).

Shotton Primary School had 16 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Shotton Primary School.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Schools (e-bound), 70 metres away.

In 2024/25, Shotton Primary School issued 16 suspensions, 5.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Shotton Primary School are St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College (1.7 miles), The Academy at Shotton Hall (1.8 miles) and Easington Academy (1.8 miles).