St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Newton Aycliffe, Newton Aycliffe

Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~570m)Possible (~814m)Unlikely (~1.1km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Emily Milward
Pupils:162 / 210 capacity
LA:County Durham
Phone:01325300339
Address:Central Avenue, Newton Aycliffe, DL5 5NP
Trust:BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 May 2022

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 8 April 2025View full report
URN:149059
UKPRN:10090316
Diocese:Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
Constituency:Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Mary's creates a warm, supportive environment where children thrive academically and personally. The school excels at developing confident readers and strong mathematicians, while carefully tailoring support for children who need extra help. Pupils also develop strong character and leadership skills through well-structured opportunities and trips.

Key Strengths

  • Strong positive relationships between staff and pupils, with effective support systems in place
  • Well-developed curriculum with clear ambitions for every pupil, including strong early years preparation
  • Pupils becoming confident, fluent readers with good knowledge retention in mathematics
  • Effective support for pupils with additional needs to access the full curriculum
  • Robust systems for tracking and improving attendance rates

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupils' writing skills are not being developed consistently well enough across the school
  • Early years support is not always consistent, affecting some children's progress through the ambitious curriculum

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff understanding how to keep pupils safe and pupils knowing who to talk to about worries or concerns.

Extracurricular Activities

Ski trip to Scotland, trust-wide debates, school council, house captains, eco team, parish church community events

St Mary's Catholic Primary School is a calm, kind and friendly school where pupils feel safe and happy. The school has developed an ambitious curriculum rooted in local context while helping pupils understand significant national and international issues.

At a Glance

46.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

41 responses
Would recommend81%
Child is happy98%
Well taught93%
Good progress88%
Feels safe98%
Well behaved88%
Bullying dealt with27%
Kept informed95%
Handles concerns59%
Wider development83%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMaths-3ppWriting+7pp

Reading has remained stable at around 79%. Maths has remained stable at around 66%. Writing has improved from 76% to 83%.

Class Sizes

26.1

Avg class size

25.7

Infant (KS1)

26.5

KS2

7

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

St Marys School (NE-bound)
107m · 2 min walk
Shafto Way-outside nos 90-147 (NW-bound)
196m · 3 min walk
Central Avenue Tesco (NE-bound)
209m · 3 min walk
Bousfield Crescent (SE-bound)
280m · 5 min walk
Vane Road - School (W-bound)
324m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

77%

Available places

162 pupils

210 capacity

48 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Newton Aycliffe

Low pressure
New homes approved:817
Projected new pupils:204

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Newton Aycliffe

Admissions Demand - County Durham

Low demand0.68x oversubscription

Places available

6,592

Applications

4,491

Got 1st preference

96.4%

Got preferred school

99.2%

Primary admissions across County Durham (2025/26)

Inspection History

8 April 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood

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.

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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.

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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.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.17898%

Overall absence

12.12121%

Persistent absence

165

Enrolments

Authorised3.70433%
Unauthorised1.47465%
Persistent (10%+)12.12121%
Severe (50%+)0.60606%

Absence trend

6.46601%
22/23
5.6207%
23/24
5.17898%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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