Stanley Burnside Primary School, Stanley

Ofsted's report card from its 17 February 2026 inspection grades Stanley Burnside Primary School on 7 areas: 3 expected standard and 4 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have strengthened their strategies for improving pupils' attendance."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders prioritise inclusion."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school has a well-designed programme for personal development and wellbeing."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Some children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2 do not secure the basic skills in reading, writing and number facts required to become fluent readers, writers, and mathematicians."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have only recently started to address gaps in pupils' basic skills, such as handwriting, punctuation, and spelling."

Early years - Needs attention. "Leaders lack sufficient ambition for older children in the mixed 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old provision."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders and governors do not consistently address priorities with the required urgency."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that checks on pupils' learning in class and during any wider support are used effectively to identify and address gaps in pupils' understanding, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities"; "Leaders should guide staff in teaching pupils the foundational knowledge needed to learn well and achieve their best in statutory assessments, such as the phonics screening and multiplication tables checks"; "Leaders should ensure that staff provide children in the early years provision with tasks and resources that are sufficiently ambitious so that they are better prepared for the next stages in their education"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a secure and detailed knowledge of fundamental British Values".

In its own words: "Our Burnside vision is to create an inclusive, innovative and inspiring learning environment where every pupil is given the support and challenge that they need to reach their potential."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Our school is a medium sized primary school located in South Stanley. Despite our school being nestled at the very end of Mendip Terrace, it is very much at the heart of the community which it serves!"

The school runs after-school care.

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils at Stanley Burnside Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 85% 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 68% in reading and 68% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 19 families put Stanley Burnside Primary School as their first choice and 22 named it as one of their preferences, for 19 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Stanley Burnside Primary School are East Stanley School (0.5 miles, 61% reading, 71% maths); Bloemfontein Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 86% reading, 86% maths); St Mary's Catholic Primary School, South Moor (0.7 miles, Good, 50% reading, 22% maths); and South Stanley Infant and Nursery School (0.7 miles, Good).

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

13 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Stanley Burnside Primary School (as of April 2026): 85% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (85%).

59.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

Stanley Burnside Primary School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 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 Stanley Burnside Primary School.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Aylward Place (se-bound), 310 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Stanley Burnside Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 207 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 County Durham (84), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Stanley Burnside Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 1.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Stanley Burnside Primary School are North Durham Academy (0.6 miles) and Tanfield School (1.3 miles).